Confidence in Banks, Financial Institutions and Wall Street, 1971-2011

Public Opinion Quarterly. 76(1):142-162.

39 Pages Posted: 23 Sep 2011 Last revised: 17 May 2012

See all articles by Lindsay A. Owens

Lindsay A. Owens

Stanford University - Department of Sociology, Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality

Date Written: September 21, 2011

Abstract

Animosity toward banks, financial institutions and Wall Street has been an important part of the public discourse since the bank bailouts of 2008. Indeed, Americans’ confidence in all three institutions has plummeted accordingly in the years since. This paper places these declines in confidence in historical perspective. I examine trends in confidence in commercial banks, local banks, savings and loan associations, Wall Street, and Wall Street executives over the last 40 years, as well as perceptions of the moral and ethical practices of bankers and stockbrokers. I pay particular attention to how confidence shifts in response to both economic contractions and major scandals. My findings suggest that while changes in the business cycle have an effect on public opinion in this domain, it is the economic contractions that correspond to major scandals in the financial sector which motivate the largest shifts in confidence and provoke the most public outrage.

Keywords: Confidence, GSS, Public Opinion, Banks, Financial Institutions, Wall Street, Bank Bailouts

Suggested Citation

Owens, Lindsay A., Confidence in Banks, Financial Institutions and Wall Street, 1971-2011 (September 21, 2011). Public Opinion Quarterly. 76(1):142-162., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1931908

Lindsay A. Owens (Contact Author)

Stanford University - Department of Sociology, Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality ( email )

518 Memorial Way Building 1
Stanford, CA 94305
United States

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