PHILADELPHIA, PENN. — Despite broad public distrust of the federal government, most Americans still believe in the foundational principles on which the US political system was built —especially the importance of checks and balances.

This is according to a new national survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

The findings reveal that large majorities of US adults support the role of Congress and the courts in limiting presidential authority, even amid broader dissatisfaction and skepticism toward the federal government’s three branches.

“Americans do not think the president should have the ability to act unconstrained by the courts and Congress,” said Matt Levendusky, director of APPC’s Institutions of Democracy division and a Penn political science professor.

“Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike believe that the courts and Congress should be able to check the president’s actions.”

Levendusky and Shawn Patterson Jr. wrote about the issue for NBC News. 

Americans Value Constitutional Oversight

One of the most notable findings of the APPC survey is the extent to which the public supports constitutional oversight, even under extraordinary circumstances such as terrorism.

When asked whether a president should comply with a Supreme Court ruling — even if he believes it hinders national security — 69% of respondents said the president should follow the court’s decision.

This represents a 25-point increase from 2007, when only 44% felt that way. Similarly, 76% of respondents agreed that the president is supposed to follow Supreme Court rulings.

“People want the president to listen to the Supreme Court and they think that our system of government requires the president to do so,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Few Americans think the president should be allowed to ignore court decisions. In fact, only 27% of Republicans, 20% of independents, and 5% of Democrats think the president has this right.

And it is not just the courts. Sixty percent of respondents didn't believe the president should have the right to enact policies without congressional approval. Only 13% of independents surveyed said the president should have this right.

This public commitment to constitutional checks on the executive branch comes at a time when Americans harbor low levels of trust in the federal government itself.

According to the APPC survey, only 41% of Americans trust the US Supreme Court to act in the best interests of people like them. Trust is even lower for the presidency (40%), elected officials (36%), and Congress (32%).

Business leaders ranked the lowest at 30%.

At the heart of this distrust may be a general perception that these critical institutions in American government and society are not operating the way they should or the way they were formed to operate.

A clear majority — 60% — believe the country is seriously off track, while only 40% think it is generally going in the right direction.  Still, Americans believe in the principles underpinning the US Constitution.

“Even though people say they don’t have much trust in particular government institutions—Congress, the President, the courts—they do express support for our system of government,” said Jamieson.

“They support the idea of checks and balances, if not the individual branches themselves.”

A Complex View of Government

The findings highlight a complex relationship that the American public has with their government. Even as many voters believe US institutions are failing them, they still believe in the principles they are supposed to represent.

And they still want to believe in the democratic process.

In times of political division and national anxiety, Americans appear to be drawing a line between the individuals who hold power and the principles that define how power is wielded.

The survey data, collected in February and March 2025, underscores the need for elected leaders and institutions to earn back public trust—even as the public continues to uphold the constitutional framework that empowers them.