Politics
Visualizing the Decline of Confidence in American Institutions
Every day, the public relies on a number of major institutions for services and safety. From banks and governments, to media and the military—these institutions play an important role in shaping life as we know it.
Yet, today’s interactive data visualization from Overflow Data shows that America’s confidence in institutions has drastically waned. The data relies on the General Social Survey (GSS) to provide a 40-year overview of how sentiment has changed with respect to 13 different institutions.
Select an institution from the drop-down menu below to see how confidence has changed over time
The Erosion of Confidence
Overall, confidence in most institutions has eroded. Americans find it especially hard to trust their government: the “great deal of confidence” metrics for Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Executive Branch were low to begin with, and have declined further since 1975.
That said, the biggest overall drop belongs to the press, which saw 50% of surveyed Americans saying they have “hardly any confidence” in it in 2016. This is nearly a three-fold increase from 1975, when that number was just 19%. Of course, with the rise of fake news in more recent years, the erosion of confidence in media doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Here’s a look at the two extremes of sentiment regarding the studied institutions, showing how the opposite measures of “hardly any confidence” and a “great deal of confidence” have changed since 1975:
Institution | Confidence level | 1975 | 2016 | Change |
---|---|---|---|---|
🏦 Banks & Financial Institutions | Hardly any | 10.9% | 31.2% | +20.3 p.p. |
Great deal | 32.3% | 14.1% | -18.2 p.p. | |
🗳️ Congress | Hardly any | 26.2% | 52.6% | +26.4 p.p. |
Great deal | 13.6% | 5.9% | -7.7 p.p. | |
🏫 Education | Hardly any | 13.0% | 17.5% | +4.5 p.p. |
Great deal | 31.5% | 25.6% | -5.9 p.p. | |
🏛️ Executive Branch | Hardly any | 29.7% | 42.4% | +12.7 p.p. |
Great deal | 13.4% | 12.8% | -0.6 p.p. | |
🏬 Major Companies | Hardly any | 22.9% | 17.3% | -5.6 p.p. |
Great deal | 20.5% | 18.3% | -2.2 p.p. | |
🏥 Medicine | Hardly any | 17.8% | 13.4% | -4.4 p.p. |
Great deal | 51.8% | 50.6% | -1.2 p.p. | |
🎖️ Military | Hardly any | 14.8% | 7.6% | -7.2 p.p. |
Great deal | 36.3% | 53.4% | +17.1 p.p. | |
💪 Organized Labor | Hardly any | 31.5% | 22.6% | -8.9 p.p. |
Great deal | 10.2% | 13.9% | +3.7 p.p. | |
🙏 Religion | Hardly any | 23.0% | 26.4% | +3.4 p.p. |
Great deal | 25.8% | 20.0% | -5.8 p.p. | |
📰 Press | Hardly any | 19.0% | 50.0% | +31 p.p. |
Great deal | 24.5% | 7.6% | -16.9 p.p. | |
🥼 Scientific Community | Hardly any | 7.4% | 6.1% | -1.3 p.p. |
Great deal | 41.7% | 42.1% | +0.4 p.p. | |
📺 Television | Hardly any | 23.4% | 43.1% | +19.7 p.p. |
Great deal | 18.4% | 9.8% | -8.6 p.p. | |
⚖️ U.S. Supreme Court | Hardly any | 19.2% | 17.4% | -1.8 p.p. |
Great deal | 31.8% | 26.3% | -5.5 p.p. |
Banks and financial institutions have also suffered a bad rep in the public eye. Their “great deal of confidence” metric has dropped sharply from 32.3% to 14.1% in four decades.
One major exception is the military, which emerges as the most trusted institution. Americans’ faith in the military has also shown the most improvement, with a 17.1 p.p increase in a “great deal of confidence” since 1975.
The Split Widens Further
While measuring public confidence in institutions can be subjective, it provides an understanding of where Americans want to see change and reform take place.
For more on how Americans perceive different institutions and the issues that affect them, see how the public is divided based on political affiliation.
Politics
A Century of Unions in Europe (1920-2022)
This year marks 100 years since the birth of the Soviet Union. How have countries in and near Europe aligned themselves over the last century?

Timeline: A Century of Unions in Europe (1920-2022)
On February 24th, Russia invaded Ukraine launching one of the biggest wars on European soil since World War II. The invasion reflects a longstanding belief of Russia’s that Ukraine—and much of the Soviet Union’s former republics and satellite states—is still their territory to claim. But what is the “former glory” of Russia?
Of the USSR’s former republics and satellite states, many have moved on to join the European Union, and in Putin’s eyes have become more “Westernized” and further from Russian values. In fact, Ukraine recently had its candidacy status approved with the EU.
It’s now been a full century since the formation of the USSR. Much has changed since then, and this visual timeline breaks down how countries within and near Europe have aligned themselves over those 100 years.
The USSR / Soviet Union
The Soviet Union—officially titled the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)—was formed 100 years ago in 1922 and was dissolved in 1991 almost 70 years later. At its height it was home to 15 republics, over 286 million people, and stretched from the Pacific Ocean to Ukraine, with virtual control and influence in countries as far west as East Germany.
Notable leaders characterized both the rise and fall of the USSR, starting with its establishment under Vladimir Lenin until the union’s dissolution under Mikhail Gorbachev. Latvia and Lithuania were among the first republics to make the move for sovereignty, beginning the demise of the Soviet Union.
Here’s a look at which modern day countries were a part of the USSR.
Modern Day Country | Name Under USSR | Date Joined | Date Gained Independence |
---|---|---|---|
🇬🇪 Georgia | Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic | 1922 | 1991 |
🇺🇦 Ukraine | Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic | 1922 | 1991 |
🇦🇲 Armenia | Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic | 1922 | 1991 |
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic | 1922 | 1991 |
🇧🇾 Belarus | Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic | 1922 | 1991 |
🇷🇺 Russia | Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic | 1922 | 1991 |
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic | 1924 | 1991 |
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic | 1924 | 1991 |
🇹🇯 Tajikistan | Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic | 1929 | 1991 |
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic | 1936 | 1991 |
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic | 1936 | 1991 |
🇱🇹 Lithuania | Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic | 1940 | 1990 |
🇪🇪 Estonia | Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic | 1940 | 1991 |
🇱🇻 Latvia | Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic | 1940 | 1990 |
🇲🇩 Moldova | Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic | 1940 | 1991 |
Additionally, there were multiple satellite states, which were not formally joined with the USSR, but operated under intense Soviet influence.
Modern Day Country | Country Name at the Time |
---|---|
🇦🇱 Albania | People's Republic of Albania |
🇵🇱 Poland | Polish People's Republic |
🇧🇬 Bulgaria | People's Republic of Bulgaria |
🇷🇴 Romania | Romanian People's Republic |
🇨🇿 Czechia | Czechoslovak Socialist Republic |
🇸🇰 Slovakia | Czechoslovak Socialist Republic |
🇩🇪 Germany | East Germany (German Democratic Republic) |
🇭🇺 Hungary | Hungarian People's Republic |
🇸🇮 Slovenia | Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia |
🇭🇷 Croatia | Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia |
🇷🇸 Serbia | Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia |
🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia |
🇲🇪 Montenegro | Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia |
🇲🇰 North Macedonia | Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia |
🇲🇳 Mongolia | Mongolian People's Republic |
Today, there are still some countries that align themselves with Putin and Russia over the EU.
Belarus, sometimes called Europe’s “last dictatorship”, shares a border with both Ukraine and Russia and facilitated the entry of Russian soldiers into Ukraine. Furthermore, according to the Pentagon, Russian missiles have been launched from Belarus.
The European Union
The European Union was officially formed in 1993 and has 27 member states. Some former USSR republics are now a part of the union including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The most recent member to join was Croatia in 2013.
The EU has its roots in the European Coal & Steel Community which was formed in 1952 with Italy, France, West Germany and a few other countries comprising its first members. There are currently six candidate countries on track to join the EU — all but one were either former Soviet satellite states or formal republics:
- 🇦🇱 Albania
- 🇲🇪 Montenegro
- 🇲🇰 North Macedonia
- 🇷🇸 Serbia
- 🇹🇷 Turkey
- 🇺🇦 Ukraine
- 🇲🇩 Moldova
There are many reasons countries opt to join the EU: a common currency, easier movement of goods and people between national borders, and, of course, military protection.
However, in 2020 the UK formally left the union, making it the first country in history to do so. Here’s a look at every EU member state.
EU Member States | Year Joined | Former USSR Republic? | Former USSR Satellite State? |
---|---|---|---|
🇦🇹 Austria | 1995 | No | No |
🇧🇪 Belgium | 1952 | No | No |
🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 2007 | No | Yes |
🇭🇷 Croatia | 2013 | No | Yes |
🇨🇾 Cyprus | 2004 | No | No |
🇨🇿 Czechia | 2004 | No | Yes |
🇩🇰 Denmark | 1973 | No | No |
🇪🇪 Estonia | 2004 | Yes | -- |
🇫🇮 Finland | 1995 | No | No |
🇫🇷 France | 1952 | No | No |
🇩🇪 Germany | 1952 | No | Yes (East Germany) |
🇬🇷 Greece | 1981 | No | No |
🇭🇺 Hungary | 2004 | No | Yes |
🇮🇪 Ireland | 1973 | No | No |
🇮🇹 Italy | 1952 | No | No |
🇱🇻 Latvia | 2004 | Yes | -- |
🇱🇹 Lithuania | 2004 | Yes | -- |
🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 1952 | No | No |
🇲🇹 Malta | 2004 | No | No |
🇳🇱 Netherlands | 1952 | No | No |
🇵🇱 Poland | 2004 | No | Yes |
🇵🇹 Portugal | 1986 | No | No |
🇷🇴 Romania | 2007 | No | Yes |
🇸🇰 Slovakia | 2004 | No | Yes |
🇸🇮 Slovenia | 2004 | No | Yes |
🇪🇸 Spain | 1986 | No | No |
🇸🇪 Sweden | 1995 | No | No |
Ukraine’s Outlook
The iron curtain that was draped across Europe, which used to divide the continent politically and ideologically, has since been drawn back. But the war in Ukraine is a threat to many in Europe, and countries such as Poland have voiced fears about the spillover of conflict.
In late June, the European Council approved Ukraine’s bid for expedited candidacy to the EU, but the process will still likely be lengthy—for example, it took Croatia 10 years to formally join at the normal pace.
Beyond other needs such as military support, joining the union would allow refugees from Ukraine the freedom to migrate and work in other EU countries with ease.
Misc
Missing Migrants: Visualizing Lost Lives Along the Mediterranean Sea
Each year, thousands of migrants take the journey along the Eastern Mediterranean to get to the EU. Some never make it to their destination.

Missing Migrants: Lost Lives Along the Mediterranean Sea
Each year, thousands of migrants flee war-torn countries in search of asylum.
Even before the migrant crisis caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War, Europe has been the focal point in the past decade. Many refugees from conflicts in Africa and Asia, including those from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and have traveled to Europe along the Eastern Mediterranean migration route—a dangerous passage across the Aegean Sea that weaves along the coastlines of Greece and Turkey.
The journey to reach Europe is risky, and some of the migrants who attempt the crossing never make it. Using data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), this map by Elbie Bentley visualizes the reported deaths and disappearances along the Eastern Mediterranean from 2014 to 2021.
Inspired by Levi Westerveld’s Those Who Did Not Cross, each lost life is captured with its own dot, in an effort to humanize the data.
The 2015 European Crisis
1,863 deaths and disappearances were reported along the Eastern Mediterranean between the years of 2014 and 2021.
Almost half of those recordings came from 2015 during the European migrant crisis, when a record-breaking one million people sought asylum in the EU.
About 800,000 of the one million migrants traveled to Greece through Turkey, with many of the refugees escaping Syria’s civil war.
European Migrant Crisis by Year | Reported deaths and disappearances |
---|---|
2014 | 101 |
2015 | 804 |
2016 | 434 |
2017 | 62 |
2018 | 174 |
2019 | 71 |
2020 | 106 |
2021 | 111 |
In an attempt to control the situation, the EU and Turkey signed a migration deal in March 2016 that agreed to send back migrants who did not receive official permission to enter the EU.
Though the agreement drastically reduced the number of people traveling through Turkey to Greece, thousands still make the dangerous journey across the Aegean Sea each year. In 2021, 111 people were reported dead or missing along the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Dangerous Journey
According to the International Organization for Migration, the most common cause of death along the Eastern Mediterranean is drowning.
While the journey is only 5.4 nautical miles or less, transportation conditions to Greece are not always safe. Boats are sometimes forced into tumultuous waters, according to migrants who’ve experienced the journey firsthand.
And these boats are often severely underequipped and overcrowded—rubber dinghies designed to carry a dozen people are sometimes loaded with up to 60 passengers.
Safer means of transportation are available, but the costs are steep. According to Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, it could cost a family an average of €10,000 to travel by yacht.
Rescue Efforts for Migrants is Needed
Further complicating the dangerous journey is a lack of rescue resources.
According to a 2021 report by IOM, the EU does not currently have a dedicated search and rescue team. Instead, the onus is on individual states to patrol their own waters.
Until the crisis is better addressed or local conflicts begin to resolve, there will be an urgent need for increased rescue operations and a standardized migration protocol to help mitigate the number of migrant deaths and disappearances each year.
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