Pew Research: Public Confidence in Supreme Court Near Historic Low

Americans are losing faith in the nation’s highest court. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that half of U.S. adults now view the Supreme Court unfavorably — nearly a three-decade low — while 48% hold a favorable opinion. That’s a sharp drop from 2020, when 70% of Americans said they viewed the Court positively.

The partisan gap is striking. Just 26% of Democrats see the Court favorably, compared to 71% of Republicans. This divide has widened dramatically since 2021, when nearly two-thirds of Democrats still expressed confidence in the Court, before the justices struck down the federal right to abortion and issued other controversial rulings.

Americans see the Court as conservative. Nearly half (47%) describe it that way, while 44% call it “middle of the road.” Very few — just 7% — see the Court as liberal. At the same time, most Americans (57%) believe the Court holds the right amount of power, though nearly one in three — largely Democrats — say it has too much.

Who trusts the Court least? Black Americans (63% unfavorable), younger adults (55%), and college graduates (56%) are especially skeptical. In contrast, older Republicans remain the Court’s strongest supporters, with 8 in 10 holding a favorable view.

Perhaps the most unifying finding: Americans of all parties want justices to stay out of politics. Overwhelmingly, 86% say the Court should keep personal ideology out of its decisions. Yet only 14% believe the justices are doing that well. In a time of deep division, that shared expectation — impartial justice — may be the Court’s toughest test yet.