As previous chapters have demonstrated, low and declining citizen respect for government institutions and political
leaders is characteristic of contemporary industrialized societies. Empirical evidence dating back to the early 1970s
reveals a trend toward growing distrust of government institutions in a number of countries (for previous reviews see,
for example, Miller and Listhaug 1990; Miller and Borrelli 1991; Dalton 1996; Norton 1997; Nye et al. 1997).
While the trend toward distrust is evident, the explanations for, and interpretations of, this phenomenon have proved
far more controversial (see, for example, the early Miller/Citrin exchange, 1974). This lack of definitive explanation
derives partly from the complexity of the task and partly from a dearth of systematic evidence available for
operationalizing plausible explanations. Any long-term social development is bound to have several causes, and the
factors stressed at one point in time may not be the same as those that are important later.
Nevertheless, one explanation that has appeared frequently in the literature is public dissatisfaction with government
performance. Miller (1974a) argued that when citizens' expectations of government performance went unfulfilled over
the course of successive administrations, growing distrust of government institutions would result. He also
demonstrated empirically that when governments pursued centrist policies, citizens of both the extreme left and right
became distrustful at a faster rate than citizens of a moderate ideological persuasion. Others contended that in the
post-war period, citizens were making increasing demands on government; demands that the government simply could
not meet, hence government overload, an emerging ‘crisis of the state’ and growing citizen discontent with
government (Crozier, Huntington, and Watanuki 1975; Sundquist 1980; Huntington 1981; Lipset and Schneider
As previous chapters have demonstrated, low and declining citizen respect for government institutions and politicalleaders is characteristic of contemporary industrialized societies. Empirical evidence dating back to the early 1970sreveals a trend toward growing distrust of government institutions in a number of countries (for previous reviews see,for example, Miller and Listhaug 1990; Miller and Borrelli 1991; Dalton 1996; Norton 1997; Nye et al. 1997).While the trend toward distrust is evident, the explanations for, and interpretations of, this phenomenon have provedfar more controversial (see, for example, the early Miller/Citrin exchange, 1974). This lack of definitive explanationderives partly from the complexity of the task and partly from a dearth of systematic evidence available foroperationalizing plausible explanations. Any long-term social development is bound to have several causes, and thefactors stressed at one point in time may not be the same as those that are important later.Nevertheless, one explanation that has appeared frequently in the literature is public dissatisfaction with governmentperformance. Miller (1974a) argued that when citizens' expectations of government performance went unfulfilled overthe course of successive administrations, growing distrust of government institutions would result. He alsodemonstrated empirically that when governments pursued centrist policies, citizens of both the extreme left and rightbecame distrustful at a faster rate than citizens of a moderate ideological persuasion. Others contended that in thepost-war period, citizens were making increasing demands on government; demands that the government simply couldnot meet, hence government overload, an emerging ‘crisis of the state’ and growing citizen discontent withgovernment (Crozier, Huntington, and Watanuki 1975; Sundquist 1980; Huntington 1981; Lipset and Schneider
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