Throughout the country, people rely on state and local courts to resolve a wide variety of issues, including traffic tickets, divorce, debt cases, and shoplifting charges. Their interactions with the courts can affect their lives, their communities—and their opinions of the legal system.
To learn more about how people in the U.S. interact with and view these courts, The Pew Charitable Trusts conducted a national poll, released in August 2025.
Take the quiz below to see if the results surprise you.
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Learn more about how people in the U.S. perceive state and local courts.
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? What was the most common grade respondents gave the courts?
- A
- B
+ C
- D
! More U.S. adults (38%) gave the courts a “C” than any other grade. Those with court experience—meaning that they or a household member have had a court case—were more likely to give a “D” or “F” (26%) grade than those who had no court experience (11%).
? Everyone in the U.S. is guaranteed legal counsel for every case in court.
- True
+ False
! The right to counsel is not guaranteed in all cases, even if you can’t afford a lawyer yourself. In roughly 3 out of 4 civil cases, for example, at least one side is not represented by a lawyer.
? What share of U.S. households have ever had a court case?
- 1 in 2
+ 1 in 3
- 1 in 4
- 1 in 5
! 1 in 3 adults—equivalent to 91 million people—reported that a member of their household has had a case in their local court. The most common reasons for having a court case were traffic tickets (24%) and family matters (23%), including child custody matters or divorce, followed by misdemeanors (13%) and debt collection (8%).
? What proportion of people said their confidence in courts dropped after their court experience?
- One-fifth
- One-quarter
+ One-third
- One-half
! About half of respondents said that their confidence in the courts changed after their most recent interaction: 14% said their confidence increased, and 35% said it decreased.
? Which statement did respondents select as more closely aligning with their views, even if neither was perfect?
- "Courts need to better use their resources so judges can process cases as quickly as possible. As institutions funded in part by tax dollars, courts should focus on minimizing costs."
+ "Courts need to better use their resources to make it easier for people to navigate the system and resolve legal issues. As institutions funded in part by tax dollars, they should focus on the needs of community members.”
! Most U.S. adults, with and without court experience, said that making courts easier for users to navigate is more important than improving speed and minimizing costs for courts.
