University of Wyoming
November 1, 2024 – A new University of Wyoming survey reveals significant disapproval of federal leadership, balanced by varied opinions about state officials’ performance.
At the national level, over 73 percent of Wyomingites disapprove or strongly disapprove of President Joe Biden’s performance. Additionally, 81 percent express disapproval with Congress’s handling of its responsibilities. In contrast, the U.S. Supreme Court is viewed more favorably, though 48.5 percent still disapprove of its performance.
When it comes to state leadership, 41 percent of respondents approve of Gov. Mark Gordon’s performance, compared to 22 percent who disapprove (+19). U.S. Sen. John Barrasso receives a 42 percent approval rating, with 29 percent disapproving (+13), while U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis has a 30 percent approval rating and 25 percent disapproval (+5). In the U.S. House, Rep. Harriet Hageman enjoys higher approval, with 47 percent of Wyomingites expressing satisfaction with her work, while 27 percent disapprove (+20). These numbers include a “neither approve nor disapprove” option, which ranged from a low of 18 percent for Hageman to a high of 37 percent for Lummis.
The statewide survey was conducted Sept. 24-Oct. 27, yielding 739 responses from randomly selected Wyoming residents. The margin of error for the distribution of responses on any individual survey question is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points. Men and women from all age groups and all counties in Wyoming are proportionally represented in the survey data. The final survey data have been weighted to reflect the actual population distribution in Wyoming on gender, age, county of residence, party affiliation and education.
Looking at approval ratings only among those who expressed approval or disapproval, 66 percent of respondents approve of Gordon’s performance, while 34 percent disapprove. Approval ratings for other state leaders are 59 percent approval for Barrasso, 55 percent approval for Lummis and 63 percent approval for Hageman.
The Wyoming Legislature sees 32 percent of residents approving its work and 30 percent disapproving. The Wyoming judiciary garners a favorable view, with over 36 percent approving and around 12 percent disapproving. Looking only at those who expressed approval or disapproval, the Legislature has a 52 percent approval rating, with 48 percent disapproving, while the Wyoming judiciary has a significantly higher approval rating of 76 percent vs. 24 percent who disapprove.
“While federal leaders face discontent, Wyoming’s state officials receive largely favorable reviews, highlighting a preference for local governance,” says Ryan Williamson, an assistant professor of political science at UW. “Additionally, a significant trust gap exists between federal and state governments, with Wyomingites showing much greater confidence in their local leaders.”
In evaluating trust in the federal government, less than 1 percent of Wyomingites feel it can “just about always” be trusted to do what is right. Only 10 percent trust the federal government “most of the time,” while 51 percent believe it can be trusted “some of the time.” Notably, 38 percent of respondents express a severe lack of trust, feeling the federal government cannot ever be trusted to do the right thing.
In contrast, the state government in Cheyenne enjoys comparatively higher trust levels. When posed with the same question, 3 percent of residents believe the state government can almost always be trusted. A more significant portion, 36 percent, trust the state government “most of the time,” and 52 percent believe it can be trusted “some of the time.” Only 8 percent feel the state government can never be trusted to act correctly.
Biennial surveys of Wyoming residents are conducted by UW’s School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies in partnership with the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center. The questions focus on attitudes toward government, elected officials, candidates for office and contemporary policy issues. Questions regarding the survey can be directed to .
A top-line report with methodological outline and complete survey results can be found at https://wysac.uwyo.edu/wysac/projects/weys24/.
A random sample of all cellular and land-line telephones was generated for the UW survey. Selected respondents were contacted via email, mail and phone to complete the survey, with 59 percent of responses on the web and the remaining 41 percent via live-interviewer telephone (92 percent cellular).
“This approach to the survey methodology gives every person in Wyoming with a phone an equal probability of selection for the survey,” says Brian Harnisch, director of the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center. “Survey respondents accurately reflect the statewide population in terms of general demographic characteristics that include age, gender and county of residence, as well as other benchmarks such as party affiliation and educational attainment.”