The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — A new poll on trust in government has found that Secretary of State Colin Powell’s 85 percent favorable rating is 10 points higher than President Bush’s not-too-shabby 75 percent. Vice President Dick Cheney came in at a respectable 69 percent favorable.
And while the public’s trust in presidential appointees has dropped since a huge boost after Sept. 11, it still remains higher than it was a year ago, according to a new poll of 986 adults funded by the Brookings Institution’s Center for Public Service.
The telephone poll, conducted May 2-11, found that the percentage of Americans who viewed presidential appointees either very or somewhat favorably was 60 percent in July 2001. That favorable percentage soared in October after the attacks to 79 percent, then dropped to 68 percent in February and 69 percent in this month’s survey.
"The fact that the fall has stabilized is a good sign," said Paul Light, a Brookings vice president, "and suggests that appointees may hold at least part of their gain." Light credited the high regard for Powell and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (70 percent favorable) for stemming further decline.
But, the survey found Americans have returned to pre-Sept. 11 views of what motivates appointees to serve. In October’s survey, 47 percent said appointees wanted to serve the public, but the latest survey was back to usual levels, with only 32 percent thinking political appointees are here to do good, rather than punching a ticket.
Light said favorable views toward appointees may be driven by high regard for Powell and Rumsfeld, "while perceptions of individual motivations of appointees is tainted by Enron" and its links to administration officials.
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