Trust in Military and Some Institutions Decline: It may not be the perception of the military that is the issue.

Trust in the military has declined 60% and that saddens me because our military produced some of the finest people on the planet. They are fair, they treat people well, they raise the standard, they provide opportunities, they teach important values, and the military protects our nation and it's liberties. 

What I think gets mixed up is the political aspects of those outside the military that shadow the important benefits our military provides for society. That can help us learn about co-mingling of different concepts and confounding variables. 

There are two articles and two charts to ponder.

Confidence in U.S. Military Lowest in Over Two Decades

Historically Low Faith in U.S. Institutions Continues

There is a difference between our political views as a nation and the military itself and I would like people to differentiate that. Our military is diverse and it encourages people from any background to be the best they can be. It's a merit system. Politics has its own systems.

Politics can be good or bad but it is often driven by influencers who have a political stake in the game. The youth that join and serve our military have none of that...but they do have belief in our important values and are willing to support that with their lives. They are a cut above the rest. 

We should understand that political leadership influences the perception of our institutions. It could be our military or any other institution in the nation. While political leadership can influence these institutions we should also ensure that we differentiate it with political movements, ideas, and activities.   

Two charts highlight some of the findings of two polls. Like most Americans, I support the Military and Small Business. I wonder what everyone else supports? For that, you have to look at our political activities and how the average American views them. i.e. the stakeholders of such processes.

A few questions you want to ask yourself might be 1.) Is it a decline in trust in the military or is it actually a decline in the perceptions of another institution? 2.) How might perception of the military, political process, and other factors get comingled into polls? 

Further research and investigation will help determine more closely what the factors are and what they are not. The second chart sort of helps put the different institutions in order of trust. Things could have changed since the last time the poll was concluded. It's a good poll for discussion.

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