In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are generally rated favorably among the general public, a new survey finds.
According to data released by Pew Research Center, Americans are generally in accordance with the principles CDC employees abide by, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the sample of US-based adult participants surveyed, 79% expressed favorable views of the CDC, with Republicans (84%) making up the majority of the respondents’ political affiliation.
For Republicans, their attitudes toward the CDC has risen over the last few years, while Democrats’ viewpoints have remained slightly favorable, the survey says. When asked to rate the HHS government agency, the majority of the participants, or 80% of respondents, stood in favor of the health agency.
Moreover, the survey also questioned respondents on their standpoints of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Based on the data, Republicans exhibited more favorable views of the DOJ during Trump’s first term in federal office, compared to Democrats, who mainly depicted the federal executive department with polarizing, political contrastations.
“Even so, favorable views of the DOJ have increased sharply since September; currently, 76% of Republicans view the DOJ favorably, up from 61% last fall and the highest positive rating for the department in polling going back a decade,” the Pew Research Center findings state.
“By comparison, 50% of Democrats feel favorably toward the Justice Department, little changed from the fall and among the lowest ratings in a decade.”
The survey also racked up data on the public’s view of other government departments, including the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Internal Revenue Service, both of which received generally favorable reception from respondents, regardless of political affiliation.