Poll: Trust in government nose dives

Less than one-quarter of Americans have faith in government, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center.

Only 22 percent of respondents reported trusting the government in Washington, with 74 percent of the more than 2,500 participants citing poor performance as a top complaint. In March and April, Pew conducted the survey, which followed up on polls from the late 1990s that explored the same issues.

In particular, the public's favorable ratings for federal agencies have fallen significantly since the late 1990s for seven of the 13 agencies included in the March survey. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Education Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration, NASA and Social Security Administration experienced double-digit declines in public satisfaction. The Postal Service remains the most popular agency, with 83 percent of participants in the March survey viewing the agency favorably, down 6 percent from 1997 and 1998. The CIA and the Internal Revenue Service were the only agencies included in the new poll whose approval ratings increased since 1997 and 1998.

Despite those figures, the public still views federal agencies much more positively than they do Congress. The favorability ratings for the agencies included in the survey ranged from 40 percent to 83 percent; 26 percent of respondents expressed a favorable opinion of Congress. Forty percent of respondents said the Obama administration does an excellent or good job, while just 17 percent said the same of Congress. And 56 percent of respondents said they would like to see their child pursue a government career, while 70 percent said government is good place to work -- the same figure reported in Pew's October 1997 survey.

Public dissatisfaction with government has been growing since the economic crisis hit its peak in 2008. Respondents want a less active government overall, except when it comes to regulating the financial industry. Thirty-eight percent of respondents in March viewed the government's impact on their daily lives as positive, compared to 50 percent of participants in Pew's October 1997 survey. Pew also found dismal views of the country's other institutions, including corporations, banks and the national news media.