Trust in US Museums Grows Across Party Lines, Survey Finds
But the federal government’s threats to institutional independence could undermine these upward trends.
Trust in museums is rising across partisan lines, according to newly published data from a survey conducted by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and Wilkening Consulting, an audience research firm specializing in the culture sector.
In an August 17 visual infographic story, AAM compiled new polling data from January with past annual surveys of American museum-goers conducted from 2021 to 2025. Each year, researchers partner with museums to determine the public's most trusted sources of information across 10 categories. With friends and public libraries tying for first, museums trailed just behind, surpassing the public’s level of trust in researchers and scientists, local and national news agencies, and the United States government.
On a scale of 1 (least trustworthy) to 10 (most trustworthy), conservative respondents gave museums an average score of 7.3, exceeding their 2021 and 2025 ratings. Moderates followed a similar upward trend with an assigned score of 7.2, a 0.6 jump from the 2021 number. Liberal participants scored museums at 7.8, matching last year's average and moving slightly above their 2021 rating.
"People generally do not want political interference in museum content," Susie Wilkening, principal of Wilkening Consulting and the survey’s lead author, told Hyperallergic. "It can be perceived from all parts of the political spectrum, particularly with what's happening with the Smithsonian."
President Donald Trump's escalating attacks on the Smithsonian have included attempts to whitewash its presentations of US history and accusations that its museums promote "extreme political activism." After threatening to strip federal funding from the Smithsonian network, Trump proposed one of the lowest budgets for the institution in a decade. Amid the chaos, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch announced his year-end resignation this week.
