Poll: Americans’ View of Performance at CDC, Other Agencies Plunges During Pandemic

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Americans' evaluations of eight prominent federal government agencies have fallen by double digits since 2019, with the largest drop for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a new Gallup poll revealed on Thursday.

"Typically, at least six in ten US adults say the CDC is doing an excellent or good job. The current 40% is thus a significant departure from the norm," a press release explaining the poll said.

Just 40 percent of those surveyed had a positive view of the CDC, a 24 percentage point drop from the pre-pandemic year of 2019, the release said.

The decline comes amid criticism of the leading US health agency for frequently changing its messages about the best ways for Americans to protect themselves from the coronavirus, particularly regarding the use of face masks, the release said.

The CDC is not alone in suffering a decline in public trust, with the CIA, the US Postal Service, the Secret Service, the FBI, the IRS, the Department of Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) all showing declines in job ratings of at least 10 percentage points since 2019, the release.

The declines likely reflect the negative effects of the pandemic on Americans' views of society and governance, as well as the recent slide in President Joe Biden's job approval rating, the release added.

The State Department, measured for the first time in the current survey, ranks lowest, of 15 agencies in the poll, with 32% giving it an excellent or good job rating, essentially tied with the EPA (33%), according to the release.

Gallup periodically asks Americans to assess how some of the more newsmaking federal agencies and departments are doing. The latest survey conducted from September 1 to 17 is one of several social polls, each of which surveys a minimum of 1,000 US adults.