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Federal News Radio
Poll: Public
confidence in federal workforce rebounds after shutdown
By Michael O'Connell
Monday - 9/8/2014
Of the 1,000 registered voters surveyed in The George Washington
University Battleground Poll, 73 percent said they had either "a lot"
of respect (22 percent) or "some" confidence (51 percent) in civilian
federal employees. Twenty-five percent said they had "little or no
confidence" in the federal workforce. [See Figure 1].
"These findings may not be a resounding affirmation of trust but they
are significantly better than those recorded prior to the federal
government shutdown in 2013," wrote William C. Adams and Donna Lind
Infeld, in a report from the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy &
Public Administration.
Citizen confidence in public servants had declined in recent years, due
to a series of highly publicized incidents, such as the GSA conference
scandal and the NSA leaks. But the new data suggests that public
confidence may be rebounding.
That rebound, however, eludes America's elected federal officials.
Confidence in members of Congress and President Barack Obama remained
low, according to data on their approval ratings. The President
received a 51 percent disapproval rating compared to Congress' 79
percent.
"Clearly, Americans don't blame federal workers for the shortcomings of
elected officials," said Adams, a professor of public policy and public
administration in GW's Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public
Administration in a release. "This may not be an overwhelming
affirmation of trust in federal workers but it's a lot more positive
than it was before the federal shutdown last year. Americans like
federal workers far more than their political bosses."
There is also a difference of perception depending on with which party
the survey respondent identified. [See Figure 2]. Democratic Party
voters said they had "a lot" of confidence in federal employees (32
percent) or "some" confidence (55 percent) compared to Republicans,
with just 13 percent for "a lot" and 48 percent for "some."
Twenty-three percent of Independents said they had "a lot" of
confidence in federal employees and 49 percent said they felt "some"
confidence in the federal workforce.
As in earlier polls, women, young respondents and African Americans
showed slightly more confidence in the federal workforce.
The GW Battlefield poll also said that, by and large, Americans
considered the federal government a good place to work.
"About three-quarters of those polled (73 percent) say they would
encourage a young person to consider a federal job," Adams and Lind
Infeld wrote. "Only one in five (20 percent) would discourage a civil
service career."
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