U.S. Mint & FAA Receive Highest Ratings of 17 Government Agencies; FBI, CDC, NIH, CIA and Office of the Surgeon General Also Well Regarded

NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight in ten (79%) U.S. adults who understand what the U.S. Mint does rate the job it's doing positively (i.e., excellent or pretty good), making it the highest rated of 17 government agencies tested. Other agencies with strong positive ratings include the Federal Aviation Administration or FAA (75%), The Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI (72%), the Centers for Disease Control or CDC (69%), The National Institutes of Health or NIH (68%), the Central Intelligence Agency or CIA (67%) and the Office of the Surgeon General (66%).

The agencies with the lowest positive ratings are the Internal Revenue Service or IRS (43%), the Social Security Administration (48%), the Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC (49%), and the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA (50%), followed by the Transportation Security Administration or TSA (54%) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or HHS (55%).

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,232 U.S. adults surveyed online between January 14 and 20, 2015, in a survey that asked the public to rate 17 of the most visible federal government agencies. The poll used the same questions featured in six previous polls over the past 15 years. This year's iteration added two new government agencies: the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Full results of the study, including data tables, can be found here.

SEC ratings improve greatly; still well below pre-recession levels

In 2007, seven in ten (71%) of those who understood what the SEC did rated the job it was doing positively. Then the recession hit, and by 2009 that positive rating had plummeted to only 29%, a drop of 42 percentage points. Fast forward these results; with the recession now officially a few years behind us and the economy rebounding somewhat, SEC perceptions seem to be making a recovery of their own. The 49% rating it positively represents 20 percentage points' growth since 2009, albeit also representing a 22 point shortfall when compared to 2007 results.

The 20-point rise in the SEC's positive ratings is the biggest change – by a wide margin – in any agency's ratings since these questions were last asked in 2009. What's more, The SEC's rating has proven to be the most volatile, varying by 42 percentage over the course of the 15 years The Harris Poll has conducted this study (from a peak of 71% in 2001 and again in 2007 to the 2009 low point of 29%).

Other ups and downs

At 79%, positive ratings for the U.S. Mint showed little change vs. 2009 (when 80% rated it positively). Some of the other chart-toppers, however, showed more volatility.

• The FAA's positive ratings (75%) represent an increase of 17 points over its score in 2000 (the study's inaugural year, when 58% gave it positive ratings) and 4 points since 2009 (when 71% did the same).
• Positive ratings for the FBI (72%) are up four points from its first inclusion in the study (in 2001, when 68% gave it positive ratings) and down three points from its 2009 peak (when 75% indicated the same).

Between Ebola's arrival in the U.S. a few months ago and the more recent coverage of measles outbreaks and vaccination debates, the CDC and NIH have frequently been in the news of late. As such, some ratings volatility might be expected.

• Though the CDC is among the agencies with strongest ratings, it's worth noting that at 69%, its positive rating is a 7-point drop from 2009 (76%) and a 21-point drop from its 2003 peak (90%).
• The NIH, meanwhile, shows modest growth in positive ratings (currently at 68%) when compared to both 2000 (63%) and 2009 (65%), but remains down 12 points when compared to its 2003 peak (80%).

Elsewhere in notable highs and lows:

• Two-thirds (67%) rate the CIA positively, representing a 10-point improvement over its inaugural inclusion in 2001 (57%) and a 4-point improvement over 2009 (63%).
• Positive ratings for both the U.S. Department of Agriculture or USDA (63%) and the TSA (54%) are somewhat stable when compared to 2009 results (with a 2-point increase and a 1-point decrease, respectively) but down notably (by 10 and 9 points, respectively) when compared to 2007, the first year either was included in the study.
• The EPA, meanwhile, sits right between its first and most recent historic ratings – with 50% rating it positively, it's down 6 points from 2000 (56%) but up 6 points from 2009 (44%). Compared to its highest rating on record (64% in 2001), it's down by 14 points.

Party perspectives

Positive sentiments toward many of the agencies peak among Democrats, who are more likely than either Republicans or Independents to give positive ratings to:

• The Office of the Surgeon General (76% Democrats vs. 59% of Republicans and 61% of Independents),
• The Department of Homeland Security (64% vs. 55% and 52%),
• The HHS (66% vs. 49% and 47%),
• The TSA (62% vs. 54% and 43%),
• The EPA (59% 44% each),
• The Social Security Administration (58% vs. 40% and 43%), and
• The IRS (51% vs. 34% and 38%).

Republicans, meanwhile, are more likely than either Democrats or Independents to give the FBI (79% of Republicans vs. 72% of Democrats and 67% of Independents) and the CIA (75% vs. 64% each) positive ratings.

The FDA represents a rare point of party unity, with both Republicans (58%) and Democrats (62%) more likely than Independents (48%) to give the agency positive ratings.

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Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online, in English, within the United States between January 14 and 20, 2015 among 2,232 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The Harris Poll avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of The Harris Poll.

Product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

The Harris Poll^® #15, February 26, 2015
By Larry Shannon-Missal, Managing Editor, The Harris Poll

About The Harris Poll®

Begun in 1963, The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys measuring public opinion in the U.S. and is highly regarded throughout the world. The nationally representative polls, conducted primarily online, measure the knowledge, opinions, behaviors and motivations of the general public. New and trended polls on a wide variety of subjects including politics, the economy, healthcare, foreign affairs, science and technology, sports and entertainment, and lifestyles are published weekly. For more information, or to see other recent polls, visit the Harris Poll News Room.

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