Poll: Only 17 percent hold positive view of federal government

Americans have a more favorable view of every other industry — including oil and gas — than of the federal government, according to a new poll released Monday.

Only 17 percent of Americans surveyed have a positive view of the federal government.

According to Gallup, this is the first time the federal government has ranked at the bottom of a list of industries, displacing even the oil-and-gas industry, which came in second to last this year.

The poll results highlight the negative opinion of government most voters have indicated in various polls following the controversial debt-ceiling vote in early August. Most polls have focused on Congress overall, or on the Republican and Democratic parties, while Gallup focused on the image of the government overall.

Americans had a more strongly negative view of the government in this year’s poll than they have since Gallup began polling this question in 2001. In 2001, more Americans had a positive view of the federal government than negative. The government’s favorable rating has fallen since 2004, with a brief reprieve in 2009.

Favorable opinions of the real estate, banking, education, accounting and healthcare sectors have also experienced double-digit declines in Gallup’s favorability polling since 2003.

Americans’ view of the computer and Internet industries has remained steadily positive. The computer industry received a 72 percent positive ranking and came in at the top of the list of 25 industries this year.

---