Not surprising, but the loss of confidence in leadership has been quantified. ~ Ilene
Courtesy of Michael Panzner of Financial Armageddon
In "Americans’ Confidence in Its Leaders Hits New Low," Bill George details the (largely unsurprising) results of a new poll:
The 2011 National Leadership Index indicates that Americans’ confidence in its leaders has hit new low points: the overall index has fallen from 101.4 in 2005 to 89.4 in this month’s survey, even below the 2008 level in the midst of the financial meltdown. (100 is the normative level of confidence.)
The index is highly reliable as it is based on interviews of 1,065 Americans and conducted by the Center for Public Leadership, headed by Professor David Gergen at Harvard Kennedy School. These results are very worrisome to me, as without trust and confidence in our leaders, America cannot recover the energy and optimism required to restore its domestic economy and global leadership.
The survey indicates that 77% of Americans believe the U.S. has a leadership crisis. Without better leaders, America will decline as a nation, according to 77% of those interviewed. Seventy-six percent disagree with the proposition that our country’s leaders are effective and do a good job.
I would take things one step further than Professor George: history — including recent developments overseas — suggests that when you combine a widespread loss of faith in the-powers-that-be with growing inequality, increasing corruption, and deteriorating economic circumstances, it can lead to something else: a revolution.
