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CBS NEWS POLL

For release: Friday, October 17, 2014
7:00 am EDT


Evaluating Government Agencies and American Institutions
October 15-16, 2014

The CBS News Poll asked Americans to rate the job being done by various government
agencies and departments, and measured the publics confidence in a number of U.S.
institutions.

Of the nine government agencies tested, just one, the FBI, receives a positive rating
from more than half of Americans. Assessment of the Centers for Disease Control has
dropped sharply since last year.

The three branches of the federal government rank among the bottom of a list of
institutions the public has confidence in. The U.S. military is at the top. The public has
lost confidence in a number of institutions over the past decades churches, the police,
public schools, banks, the Supreme Court, the presidency and Congress.

Evaluating Government Agencies

Of the agencies asked about in the poll, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is rated highest;
just about half of Americans (51%) think the Bureau is doing an excellent or good job. Ratings
of the CIA are divided.

All the other agencies or departments are in negative territory. The IRS and the Veterans
Administration, entities that have been the subject of controversies in recent years, get the
lowest ratings from the American public, and two-thirds say these agencies are doing just a fair
or poor job.

Ratings of Government Agencies
Excellent/Good Fair/Poor
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 51% 41
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) 44% 45
Dept. of Homeland Security 43% 53
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 39% 56
Secret Service 38% 52
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 37% 60
Food and Drug Admin (FDA) 37% 59
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 31% 65
Veterans Administration 30% 66

Positive assessment of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nations public
health institute, has declined dramatically. Only 37% think the CDC is doing an excellent or
good job, down from 60% in a May 2013 Gallup poll.

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Ratings of Government Agencies
(% who say Excellent or Good Job)
Now 5/2013 Gallup Poll
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 51% 55%
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) 44% 40%
Dept. of Homeland Security 43% 46%
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 39% 41%
Secret Service 38% n/a
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 37% 60%
Food and Drug Admin (FDA) 37% 45%
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 31% 27%
Veterans Administration 30% n/a

The CDC is rated more positively by Democrats (49%) than Republicans (35%). Republicans
are particularly critical of both the VA and the IRS about a quarter thinks these organizations
are doing an excellent or good job.

Confidence in American Institutions

When asked about a number of U.S. institutions, Americans have the most faith in the U.S.
military (73%); no other institution garners a lot of confidence from a majority of Americans.

Few Americans express a lot of confidence in the three branches of the federal government.
Less than one in 10 say they have a great deal or a lot of confidence in Congress the lowest
rating on the list while just three in 10 have a lot of confidence in either the Presidency (29%)
or the Supreme Court (30%).

How Much Confidence Do You Have in?
Great deal/quite a lot Some Very little
The military 73% 19 6
The police 48% 32 19
Church or organized religion 46% 29 20
The medical system 40% 34 24
Public Schools 37% 38 23
The Supreme Court 30% 39 27
Banks 29% 43 27
The Presidency 29% 26 43
Congress 9% 29 58

Of these institutions, the public has gained confidence over the long run only in the military, and
ratings of the medical system are up slightly. The Gallup Poll has been tracking many of these
measures for as long as forty years, and though a majority of Americans in the 1970s through
the 1990s already had a lot of confidence in the military, confidence rose above 70% in the
years following 9/11. In contrast, confidence in the police, the public schools, churches and the
banks have all declined.

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Have a Great Deal/Quite a Lot of Confidence in
*************** Gallup Poll ***********************
Now 6/2014 5/2004 3/1994 10/1984 5/1973
The military 73% 74% 75% 64% 58% --
The police 48% 53% 64% 54% -- --
Church or organized religion 46% 45% 53% 54% 64% 66%
The medical system 40% 34% 44% 36% -- --
Public schools 37% 26% 41% 34% 47% 58%
Banks 29% 26% 53% 35% 51% --

Confidence in the three branches of government has dropped considerably over the years.
Confidence in the Supreme Court has dropped 14 points since May of 1973. Just 29% have a
lot of confidence in the Presidency, down from 38% twenty years ago. At just 9%, confidence in
Congress has dropped 33 points since 1973.

Have a Great Deal/Quite a Lot of Confidence in
************* Gallup Poll **************************
Now 6/2014 5/2004 3/1994 10/1984 5/1973
The Supreme Court 30% 30% 46% 42% 51% 44%
The Presidency 29% 29% 52% 38% -- --
Congress 9% 7% 30% 18% 29% 42%

Confidence in the Presidency is highly partisan. However, very few Republicans (14%),
Democrats (14%), or independents (6%) have a lot of confidence in Congress.

Have a Great Deal/Quite a Lot of Confidence in
Total Reps Dems Inds
The Supreme Court 30% 33% 35% 25%
The Presidency 29% 10% 57% 21%
Congress 9% 14% 14% 6%

Direction of the Country

Americans remain pessimistic about where the country is headed. 65% think the country is off
on the wrong track; just 26% think it is headed in the right direction.

Direction of the Country
Right direction 26%
Wrong track 65

___________________________________________________________________________
This poll was conducted by telephone October 15-16, 2014 among 1,008 adults nationwide. The error
due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points.
The error for subgroups may be higher.

Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS of Media, PA. Phone numbers were
dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. Interviews were conducted in English
and Spanish. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public
Polls.

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CBS NEWS POLL
Evaluating Government Agencies and American Institutions
October 15-16, 2014

Q1. Do you feel things in this country are generally going in the right direction or do you feel
things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track?

*TOTAL RESPONDENTS* CBS
Total Rep Dem Ind October2014
% % % % %
Right direction 26 12 39 23 29
Wrong track 65 81 52 67 65
Don't know/No answer 9 6 9 10 6

Q2. Now I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how
much confidence you, yourself, have in each one -- a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little?

a. The military
Gallup
June2014
%
A great deal 45 53 41 43 39
Quite a lot 28 36 24 27 35
Some 19 8 26 20 20
Very little 6 2 8 7 6
Don't know/No answer 2 * 2 4 1

b. The police

A great deal 20 26 22 16 25
Quite a lot 28 37 23 26 28
Some 32 24 30 37 31
Very little 19 12 24 19 14
Don't know/No answer 1 1 1 2 2

c. The church or organized religion

A great deal 25 33 25 20 25
Quite a lot 21 25 13 24 20
Some 29 29 31 28 29
Very little 20 10 27 20 20
Don't know/No answer 6 4 3 8 6







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Q2. Now I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how
much confidence you, yourself, have in each one -- a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little?

*TOTAL RESPONDENTS* Gallup
Total Rep Dem Ind June2014
% % % % %
d. The medical system

A great deal 16 13 20 16 17
Quite a lot 24 28 22 24 17
Some 34 36 34 33 36
Very little 24 22 23 25 26
Don't know/No answer 1 1 1 2 5

e. The U.S. Supreme Court

A great deal 13 13 17 10 12
Quite a lot 17 20 18 15 18
Some 39 43 34 42 41
Very little 27 24 27 28 24
Don't know/No answer 4 1 3 6 4

f. Congress

A great deal 4 6 8 2 4
Quite a lot 5 8 6 4 3
Some 29 36 24 28 36
Very little 58 49 60 61 50
Don't know/No answer 3 1 2 5 8

g. The presidency

A great deal 16 7 29 12 14
Quite a lot 13 3 28 9 15
Some 26 17 26 31 27
Very little 43 72 17 45 36
Don't know/No answer 2 1 1 3 9

h. Banks

A great deal 9 11 12 6 10
Quite a lot 20 27 17 18 16
Some 43 41 42 44 43
Very little 27 19 28 30 28
Don't know/No answer 1 1 1 2 2



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Q2. Now I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how
much confidence you, yourself, have in each one -- a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little?

*TOTAL RESPONDENTS* Gallup
Total Rep Dem Ind June2014
% % % % %

i. The public schools

A great deal 14 9 20 13 12
Quite a lot 23 23 24 23 14
Some 38 42 35 37 42
Very little 23 23 19 25 28
Don't know/No answer 2 3 2 3 4

Q10. How would you rate the job being done by the Department of Homeland Security? Would
you say it is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?

*TOTAL RESPONDENTS* Gallup
Total Rep Dem Ind May2013
% % % % %
Excellent 9 9 10 7 8
Good 34 32 40 30 38
Fair 30 31 29 31 28
Poor 23 24 17 27 23
Don't know/No answer 5 4 4 6 4

Q11. How would you rate the job being done by the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS?
Would you say it is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?

Excellent 6 4 8 6 6
Good 25 21 34 22 21
Fair 37 36 36 39 29
Poor 28 36 19 29 42
Don't know/No answer 4 3 4 4 3

Q12. How would you rate the job being done by the Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA?
Would you say it is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?

Excellent 7 9 8 6 6
Good 30 30 33 27 39
Fair 38 42 36 39 32
Poor 21 18 21 23 21
Don't know/No answer 3 1 3 4 3


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Q13. How would you rate the job being done by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, or the CDC? Would you say it is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?

*TOTAL RESPONDENTS* Gallup
Total Rep Dem Ind May2013
% % % % %
Excellent 8 8 8 9 11
Good 29 27 41 23 49
Fair 30 30 26 32 27
Poor 30 34 23 32 8
Don't know/No answer 3 1 2 5 6

Q14. How would you rate the job being done by the Central Intelligence Agency, or the CIA?
Would you say it is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?

Excellent 9 13 9 6 8
Good 35 36 37 33 32
Fair 32 37 33 30 35
Poor 13 9 11 17 13
Don't know/No answer 11 6 10 14 11

Q15. How would you rate the job being done by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or the FBI?
Would you say it is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?

Excellent 11 14 9 11 10
Good 40 43 45 36 45
Fair 30 33 29 29 27
Poor 11 6 9 15 12
Don't know/No answer 8 4 8 10 7

Q16. How would you rate the job being done by the Secret Service? Would you say it is doing
an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?

Excellent 11 11 13 9
Good 27 27 30 26
Fair 31 34 28 33
Poor 21 20 22 21
Don't know/No answer 10 8 8 11

Q17. How would you rate the job being done by the Veterans Administration, or the VA? Would
you say it is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?

Excellent 7 7 9 6
Good 23 19 28 21
Fair 31 34 28 31
Poor 35 37 32 37
Don't know/No answer 4 3 3 6


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Q18. How would you rate the job being done by the Environment Protection Agency, or the
EPA? Would you say it is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?

*TOTAL RESPONDENTS* Gallup
Total Rep Dem Ind May2013
% % % % %
Excellent 7 9 7 6 5
Good 32 28 43 27 36
Fair 35 36 36 35 33
Poor 21 23 11 26 21
Don't know/No answer 5 4 3 6 5



Unweighted Weighted
Total Respondents 1,008

Total Republicans 251 230
Total Democrats 352 312
Total Independents 405 467