Name: Most Americans view Postal Service favorably, including those in both parties
Creator: Pew Research Center
Published: 2026-10-26
License: https://www.pewresearch.org/terms-and-conditions/

National Park Service, Weather Service, U.S. Postal Service are viewed positively across the political spectrum

An image of Traffic along Pennsylvania Avenue streaks by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) headquarters building at night. (Photo by J. David Ake/Getty Images) — (J. David Ake/Getty Images)

Americans’ views of several major federal government agencies and departments are generally positive, with some exceptions.

On balance, Americans view eight of 12 federal agencies we asked about more favorably than unfavorably, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 5,062 adults conducted from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026.

The National Park Service, National Weather Service and U.S. Postal Service are viewed especially positively: Two-thirds or more of Americans view each favorably.

The least popular agency of the 12 asked about is Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A majority of Americans (56%) express an unfavorable opinion of ICE, while 35% express a favorable opinion.

About this research

We conducted this survey to understand Americans’ attitudes about key federal government agencies. We have tracked attitudes about federal agencies and departments for many years.

Why did we do this?

Pew Research Center does research to help the public, media and decision-makers understand important topics.

Learn more about Pew Research Center and our politics research.

How did we do this?

We surveyed 5,062 U.S. adults from September 28 to October 4, 2026. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population.

Here are the questions used for this analysis, detailed responses and the survey methodology.

How Republicans and Democrats view federal agencies

There are wide partisan gaps in views of several agencies.

Today, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners to view ICE, DHS, the Department of Justice, the State Department, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services favorably.

The partisan gap on views of ICE is particularly wide: 67% of Republicans view the agency favorably, while 9% of Democrats say the same.

For partisan trends on views of ICE, read “Americans’ Views of ICE Grow More Negative.”

Wide partisan differences in net favorability of ICE, DHS, DOJ and other agencies

Net favorability rating of each federal agency

Note: Net favorability is the percentage favorable minus the percentage unfavorable.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Wide partisan differences in net favorability of ICE, DHS, DOJ and other agencies

Net favorability rating of each federal agency

Agency	Rep/Lean Rep	Dem/Lean Dem
ICE	44	-75
Dept. of Homeland Security	52	-42
Dept. of Justice	27	-32
State Dept.	33	-13
FBI	37	-9
Health and Human Services	24	-9
National Park Service	68	64
National Weather Service	57	62
IRS	-12	-5
U.S. Postal Service	39	52
Federal Reserve	12	28
CDC	-6	21

Download data as .csv

Note: Net favorability is the percentage favorable minus the percentage unfavorable.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to hold a favorable views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Reserve.

Trends in views of federal agencies among partisans

The State Department, DHS and ICE

State Department

A majority of Republicans (55%) express a positive opinion of the State Department, while 22% express a negative opinion – nearly identical to views a year ago.

Democrats’ views of the State Department have grown more negative over the last year. Now, more Democrats have an unfavorable (45%) than favorable (32%) view of the department.

Department of Homeland Security

Seven-in-ten Republicans express a positive view of DHS, essentially unchanged since 2025. About two-in-ten Democrats (22%) view it favorably, down modestly from a year ago (26%).

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The public’s views of ICE have grown more negative over the last year: 56% now view the agency unfavorably, up from 49% last year. While ICE continues to be viewed far more positively among Republicans than Democrats, the negative shift in perceptions is seen in both parties. (For more on views of ICE, read “Americans’ Views of ICE Grow More Negative.”)

Health and Human Services and CDC

Both the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are viewed more negatively by the public today than they were a year ago – the result of shifting views among Democrats.

Department of Health and Human Services

Currently, 46% of Democrats rate HHS unfavorably, while 37% rate it favorably. A year ago, more Democrats rated HHS favorably (47%) than unfavorably (38%).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

While Democrats continue to be more likely than Republicans to view the CDC favorably, that gap has now narrowed.

A majority of Democrats (54%) currently rate the CDC positively, but this is down from the 69% who said the same a year ago.

About four-in-ten Republicans (41%) rate the CDC favorably, compared with 47% who rate it unfavorably – nearly identical to last year.

Justice Department and FBI

While overall views of the nation’s major law enforcement agencies are little changed over the last year, the partisan trends continue to diverge.

Department of Justice

Views of the Justice Department have improved among Republicans: 58% have a positive view of the DOJ, up from 51% a year ago.

A majority of Democrats (59%) express a negative view of the DOJ – a nearly identical share to last year.

FBI

About six-in-ten Republicans (62%) rate the FBI favorably, up from a year ago, when 54% rated the FBI favorably.

By contrast, Democrats now rate the FBI more negatively (47%) than positively (39%). A year ago, Democrats were more likely to rate the agency favorably (45%) than unfavorably (38%).

Republicans grow more favorable toward FBI, Democrats more unfavorable

% who have a(n) __ opinion of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Note: No answer responses are not shown.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Republicans grow more favorable toward FBI, Democrats more unfavorable

% who have a(n) __ opinion of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Year	Agency	Group	Favorable	Unfavorable	Not sure
2023	FBI	Total	52	36	12
2024	FBI	Total	51	33	16
2025	FBI	Total	48	36	16
2026	FBI	Total	48	36	15
2023	FBI	Rep/Lean Rep	38	53	9
2024	FBI	Rep/Lean Rep	37	50	13
2025	FBI	Rep/Lean Rep	54	34	12
2026	FBI	Rep/Lean Rep	62	25	13
2023	FBI	Dem/Lean Dem	65	22	13
2024	FBI	Dem/Lean Dem	66	17	16
2025	FBI	Dem/Lean Dem	45	39	16
2026	FBI	Dem/Lean Dem	38	47	15

Download data as .csv

Note: No answer responses are not shown.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Federal Reserve and IRS

Federal Reserve

Republicans’ views of the Federal Reserve have improved: 46% view it favorably, while 34% view it unfavorably.

About half of Democrats (53%) rate the Fed positively, though that share is down from 60% in 2025.

IRS

Though both parties view the Internal Revenue Service unfavorably, their views have trended in opposite directions. Republicans have grown more favorable toward the IRS: 38% now view the agency favorably, up from 28% a year ago. By comparison, 38% of Democrats now express a positive view of the agency, down from 44% last year.

National Park Service, National Weather Service, USPS

National Park Service

The National Park Service remains broadly popular, though the share of Democrats who hold a favorable opinion is down slightly, from 79% in 2025 to 74% today.

National Weather Service

Views of the National Weather Service are also overwhelmingly positive in both parties, though somewhat less so than last year.

Postal Service

Wide majorities in both parties view the Postal Service favorably, though views are less positive than they were a few years ago.

Changes in question wording and mode differences between online and phone surveys

This survey marks the fourth time Pew Research Center has measured public attitudes about federal government agencies on our online American Trends Panel. We previously did so in 2025, 2024 and 2023. Earlier surveys measuring views of federal agencies, including polls fielded in 2020 and 2019, were conducted by telephone.

The findings in our 2026, 2025, 2024 and 2023 web surveys are not directly comparable with those past telephone surveys for two reasons:

First, the web surveys use different question wording than past telephone surveys. Online survey respondents receive an explicit “Not sure” response option. Telephone respondents, by contrast, had to volunteer that they did not have an opinion about an agency. This change generally results in a larger share of respondents declining to offer an opinion.

Second, surveys conducted online and by telephone often produce different results because respondents sometimes answer similar questions differently across modes. This is called a “mode effect.”

These two factors mean that point estimates (for instance, the share of respondents who express a favorable opinion about a single agency in our new survey and in a prior phone survey) should not be directly compared to measure change over time. Doing so would conflate question wording and mode differences with change over time.

Despite this limitation, some broad comparisons can be made. For example, if a wide partisan gap is evident for one agency but was not apparent in past surveys – compared with partisan gaps that have remained relatively stable for other agencies – that change is likely not only a result of the transition to online polling from phone polling.

In general, the agencies that are viewed most favorably in our recent online surveys were also among the most favorably viewed in past Pew Research Center surveys conducted by telephone.

This fact sheet was compiled by Research Analyst Andy Cerda. Director of Political Research Jocelyn Kiley, Associate Director Steven Shepard, Research Analyst Shanay Gracia, Senior Editorial Specialist David Kent, Associate Information Graphics Designer Carson TerBush and Digital Producer Sara Atske also provided assistance.

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How Americans View Federal Agencies