Connecticut residents trust local and state governments, but not the federal one, survey finds

[Excerpt of article by Alex Putterman, all Hearst Connecticut newspapers, November 15, 2025]

Do Connecticut residents trust their government? It depends what type of government you’re talking about.

According to a new survey from the nonprofit DataHaven, 67% of Connecticut adults say they trust their local government either “a great deal” or “a fair amount,” and nearly as many people, 61%, say they trust Connecticut’s state government “a great deal” or “a fair amount.”

When it comes to the federal government though, only 37% of Connecticut adults express “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust, compared to 59% who have “not very much” trust or “none at all.”

This lack of trust extends across racial, gender, geographic, socioeconomic and age groups, with all demographics expressing a lack of confidence in the federal government.

How much do CT residents trust government?

Connecticut adults gave local and state government high marks. Federal government? Not so much.

The 2025 DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey, conducted in partnership with Siena Research Institute, asked respondents dozens of questions about a wide range of subjects, including trust in institutions, satisfaction with where they live, housing, health, transportation, police, gun violence, drug use and more.

It featured interviews in English and Spanish with 1,371 Connecticut adults between Aug. 4 and Oct. 16, followed by statistical weighting to ensure results accurately represented the state’s demographics. Statewide results carried a maximum margin of error of 3.5%, DataHaven says.

“You can’t find a lot of these data anywhere else, and at a time when data is being disappeared or is missing or being obscured, I think this is an incredible role,” DataHaven board chairperson Kate Szczerbacki said last week at an event where the survey was presented for the first time

Here are some key takeaways from this year’s results:

Inequality persists across nearly all measures

One of the first things to notice in the new DataHaven results is sharp racial and socioeconomic gaps across nearly every measure.

According to the survey, Black and Latino adults are less likely than white adults to say they’re financially stable; less likely to report being in good health; less likely to have insurance; less likely to have access to a car; less likely to find “suitable employment;” less likely to have access to fresh produce and far less likely to own a home.

Only 51% of Black adults said they are “completely” or “mostly” satisfied with their lives, compared to 68% of white adults and 64% of Latino adults.

Low-income people also reported far more challenges than those with higher incomes. As one example among many: 16% of people earning less than $30,000 report “feeling down, depressed or hopeless,” compared to 1% of people with incomes above $200,000.

Unsurprisingly, low-income people also say they are struggling more financially. Only 21% of people earning less than $30,000 say they’re “living comfortably” or “doing alright,” compared to 92% of people earning more than $200,000.

Life in Connecticut has changed since COVID

At the event last week where the survey data was unveiled, DataHaven staff noted ways Connecticut has changed for better or worse since the organization conducted a previous survey in 2018, in some cases likely as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the positive side, more adults report the availability of suitable employment, more say they have safe places to ride a bicycle and fewer report regularly smoking cigarettes.

On the negative side, more adults report anxiety or depression; more report diabetes or hypertension; more ran out of money to pay for housing; more lacked transportation; more failed to get needed medical care; more say they face food insecurity; and fewer say they get the social and emotional support they need.

Connecticut also has seen an increase in cannabis use – 24% of people said they had used the drug in the past 30 days – likely due to legalization in 2021.

Trust in police is divided by race

Overall, Connecticut adults report a high level of confidence in the police, with 81% saying they trust law enforcement “a great deal” or “a fair amount.”

The number, however, is notably split by race: 38% of white adults trust the police “a great deal,” compared to only 21% of Black adults and 21% of Latino adults. On the other hand, only 3% of white adults say they have no trust at all in the police, compared to 10% of Black adults and 9% of Latino adults.

Trust in police also is significantly lower in urban communities than suburban ones, lower among people who have been incarcerated than among those who haven’t, and lower among LGBTQ people than straight and cisgender people.

Gun violence is a major concern in some communities

In Connecticut’s suburbs, gun violence is not a common concern, with only 4% of adults saying they fear themselves or their family could be harmed by a firearm.

In “urban core towns,” on the other hand, it’s a major issue, with 34% of adults expressing fear. Fear of gun violence also is higher among Black and Latino people and those in lower income brackets.

The source of this fear? In urban core towns, 10% of adults say a family member has been hurt or killed by gun violence in the past year, as opposed to 0% in suburban towns.

People are generally happy where they live

Ultimately, despite all the issues the survey identifies, most Connecticut adults say they’re relatively happy where they are: 83% say they’re satisfied with the city or area where they live, compared to only 16% who aren’t.

That figure is highest in suburban towns (88%) and among people earning more than $200,000 (89%), but remains fairly high in urban core towns (75%) and among the state’s poorest residents (78%). There is no gap between genders in these results and only a small one among racial groups.

Additionally, 73% of people say their area is either an “excellent” or “good” place to raise children, and similar majorities give good marks to the police, public parks and availability of fresh produce where they live.

[….]