A little more than a year ago, a majority of Republicans had a favorable view of the federal government, while only 29% of Democrats had a positive view. But a change in political control of the White House also caused a dramatic shift in who sees the federal government positively. As Democrats’ favorable opinion of the federal government rose to 61%, Republicans registered a similarly significant drop to 24%, creating a 37-point favorability gap between the two parties. Independents were unaffected by the change in administration; a little more than a third now had a positive view of the federal government, roughly the same as last year. Partisan differences about state and local government are much smaller, with majorities across party lines continuing to have positive opinions. However, unlike at the national level, Republicans continue to be more positive about both, with independents closer to Democrats in their assessment. Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.