As the recession lingers, Californians have joined a broad national trend by turning inward and cutting back on civic engagement. The 2009 California Civic Health Index report not only showed dramatic cutbacks in civic engagement, but also declines in trust in public institutions, especially state government. Californians regard their state government with greater suspicion than most Americans. Of all respondents, only 22 percent say they had a great deal of confidence in their state government.