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Acton Line podcast: Yuval Levin on why trust in institutions is declining
Acton Line podcast: Yuval Levin on why trust in institutions is declining
Oct 22, 2026 8:24 PM

It’s not news that America’s trust in public institutions is falling. Gallup polls reveal that confidence in the church is at an all time low, and similarly, Pew Research has found that Americans’ trust in the federal government and in each other is “shrinking.” In his new book, titled “A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How mitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream,” Yuval Levin argues that the widespread lack of trust we’re facing stems largely from weakened institutions – and the path forward rests in strengthening institutions rather than tearing them down. In this episode, he joins the podcast to help explain why our institutions have weakened and what we can do to address it. Yuval is an American political analyst and journalist. He is the founding editor of National Affairs and the director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

Buy “A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How mitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream,” by Yuval Levin

“A Time to Build’ Review: When All of Politics Is a Stage”

The Remnant Podcast with Jonah Goldberg: The Ties that Bind Us

Trust no one? Americans lack faith in the government, the media and each other, survey finds

Book Review: Build Them Up, Don’t Let Them Down

The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake: “The family structure we’ve held up as the cultural ideal for the past half century has been a catastrophe for many. It’s time to figure out better ways to live together.”

“Book Review: A Time to Build,” by Mona Charen

New to the Acton Line podcast? Subscribe here! We also mend starting with these episodes:

Do you have feedback for the Acton Line podcast team? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]. If you like Acton Line, don’t forget to leave a rating and review on the Apple podcast app!

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