Some 87 percent said they sometimes or often see negative stories about the federal government vs. only 10 percent rarely or never. Image: zimmytws/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffA poll by the Partnership for Public Service found that the public is much more likely to report getting negative news about the federal government vs. positive news, which “is a likely contributor to the low levels of trust.”
“When there is such a strong focus on things going wrong with the government, and less focus on the issues it is trying to solve, it helps strengthen an image of the government that is ineffective,” said a posting on results of an online poll of some 1,000 persons conducted in September.
It found that 87 percent said they sometimes or often see negative stories about the federal government vs. only 10 percent rarely or never, while only 28 percent said they sometimes or often see positive stories and 69 percent rarely or never.
The survey further “showed that 75% of the American public is very interested in hearing more positive stories about the government and its employees while only 18% is not. This finding suggests the public has an appetite for learning more about our government’s positive impact,” it said.
“While the news media plays an important role as a watchdog on the government and public officials—especially regarding corruption and impropriety—these results indicate the public is eager to hear different stories. The federal workforce consists of millions of people focused on solving problems facing the country, and while their efforts may be imperfect and the results mixed, the public wants to know more about things that are working,” it said.
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