Americans look upon the FBI and CIA more favorably than in recent years, a new Gallup Poll found.
The CIA received an excellent or good job approval rating from 52% of respondents, and the FBI earned the same from 50%, Gallup survey results showed.
Last year, 41% said the CIA was doing a good or excellent job, and 44% said that of the FBI — the lowest job approval rating of the bureau in at least 19 years, and the CIA’s second-lowest rating ever recorded.
Gallup, in 2021, documented double-digit declines since 2019 in positive job ratings of eight government agencies and departments, including the CIA and FBI.
The FBI's approval rating in the new survey differed sharply among partisan groups.
Only 29% of Republicans said the FBI was going an excellent or good job, while 79% of Democrats agreed. Just 47% of independents said likewise.
The poll results announced Wednesday come after the FBI’s raid of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home in connection with a federal investigation into his handling of documents.
Many Republicans also resent the FBI’s investigation into alleged ties between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government, as well as a probe into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack that has led to the arrests of hundreds of defendants.
Gallup indicated Republicans and Democrats both increased their approval rating for the CIA, which was saw jumps of 13 points (GOP) and 14 points (Dems).
The IRS (34%) and Justice Department (35%) received the lowest ratings for an excellent-good job approval among government agencies in the poll.
A total of 41 percentage points separate Democrats (65%) and Republicans (24%) excellent-good ratings for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest Gallup survey also showed that Americans have soured on the Federal Reserve Board as it tries to battle inflation. Positive views of the Fed has deteriorated this year, falling to 37% from 44% last year.
The Postal Service (60%) and NASA (56%) received the best overall scores among government agencies in the poll.
The poll was conducted Sept. 1-16 through telephone interviews with 812 U.S. adults. The margin of error was 4 percentage points.
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