• government is the term generally used  to describe the formal institutions through which a land and its people are ruled 
• trust in government has declined 
• the american public view of government has declined, and Americans are now more likely to feel that they can do little to influence the governments actions 
• political efficacy is the belief that ordinary citizens can affect what government does, that they can take action to make government listen to them
• today, voting is considered the building block of citizenship informed and active membership in a political community as it is the method by which Americans choose their elected leaders.