Chinese people trust their own government far more than Americans trust theirs.

According to a study by the Engelman Trust Barometer, 91% of Chinese respondents trusted their government, and every other Chinese institution recorded a double-digit increase in trust compared to last year.

In comparison, business, the most trusted institution in the U.S., was trusted by 49% of respondents. Moreover, the average gap in trust between the U.S. and China was the largest it has ever been with a 40-point difference. The gap in trust in government in the U.S. and China was a full 52 points, The Washington Examiner reported.

China is ruled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with no free press. Hallmarks of democracies are political competition and a free press.

The study showed that trust in authoritarian governments worldwide is rising at the same time that trust in democracies is falling. 

China and the UAE have the highest institutional trust at 83% and 76%, respectively. The three largest increases in trust occurred in three undemocratic countries: China, the UAE, and Thailand.

Meanwhile, big drops in trust occurred in advanced democracies: Germany, Australia, and the Netherlands. The U.S. and South Korea came close behind.

"In many of the democracies studied, institutions are trusted by less than half of their people, including only 46 pts in Germany, 45 pts in Spain, 44 pts in the U.K. and 43 pts in the U.S. Moreover, no developed countries believe their families and self will be better off in 5 years time," a summary of the data stated.

Of the top five countries with the most institutional trust — China, the UAE, Indonesia, India, and Saudi Arabia — three are outright authoritarian regimes.

Of the five countries with the lowest amount of institutional trust — the United Kingdom, U.S., South Korea, Japan, and Russia — four are considered advanced democracies.

Russia remained at the bottom of the list at just 32%. Polling could not take place in other authoritarian countries, such as North Korea or Venezuela.

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