Pew: Federal government viewed unfavorably by most Americans

May 1, 2012 | By Molly Bernhart Walker

Sixty-two percent of Americans surveyed say they have an unfavorable view of the federal government, according to a Pew Research study (.pdf) published April 26. Only one-third view the federal government favorably--the lowest positive rating in 15 years, says Pew.

Favorable ratings have fallen steadily since 2010, according to the survey, which was primarily based on telephone interviews with 1,004 individuals in April and is accurate to plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

"Since Barack Obama's first year in office, public assessments of the federal government have dropped nine-points," notes Pew.

Satisfaction with the federal government also varies along party lines. Fifty-one percent of respondents identifying as Democrats have a favorable opinion of the federal government. Meanwhile, 27 percent of independents and just 20 percent of Republicans had the same view.

While many view the federal government unfavorably, state and local governments are not viewed in the same way. Fifty-two percent of respondents have a favorable view of their state government and 61 percent view their local government favorably--19 percentage points and 28 percentage points greater than federal approval ratings, respectively.

For more:
- see the Pew summary
- download the complete report (.pdf)