On balance, Americans view 13 of 16 federal agencies we asked about more favorably than unfavorably, according to our survey of 9,424 adults conducted July 1-7. Of those 13 agencies, 10 have net favorable ratings of 15 percentage points or more.
Topping the list are the National Park Service (76% favorable), the U.S. Postal Service (72%) and NASA (67%).
Smaller majorities have favorable impressions of other agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (55% favorable), the Department of Transportation (53%) and the Social Security Administration (53%).
Americans have mixed views of the Department of Education (44% favorable, 45% unfavorable, 11% unsure) and the Department of Justice (43% favorable, 44% unfavorable, 13% unsure).
The least popular federal agency of the 16 asked about is the Internal Revenue Service. Half of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of the IRS, while 38% have a favorable view.
The agencies that are viewed favorably in our recent online surveys were also among the most favorably viewed in past Pew Research Center surveys conducted by telephone. However, because of differences in question wording and survey mode, the specific percentages in recent web surveys and past telephone surveys are not directly comparable.
