Polls can be inaccurate.  But, simply being totally dismissive of polls is not particularly responsible. Public trust in government is important for the judiciary – particularly when it comes to an essential element of what courts do:  protect individual liberty.

A new Gallup poll shows a record drop in the satisfaction of Americans over their freedoms. The massive drop is matched in such countries as Egypt, Pakistan, and Venezuela.

Seventy-nine percent of US residents are satisfied with their level of freedom. That is down from 91 percent in 2006 — a 12 point drop.  That 12-point drop pushes the United States from among the highest in the world in terms of perceived freedom to 36th place, outside the top quartile of the 120 countries sampled, trailing Paraguay, Rwanda, and the autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The poll, which also found that there is an increased perception of corruption in the country, can be found here.