More Than 50% of Americans View the IRS Unfavorably

According to a Pew survey, the majority of Americans held a positive view of the country’s federal agencies in October 2013. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proved the most popular – 75 percent of Americans viewed this agency favorably while 14 percent held an unfavorable view.

NASA came second, viewed favorably by 75 percent of the American public. 72 percent of people viewed the Department of Defense positively and it rounds off the top three. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was rock bottom of rankings and the only agency viewed more unfavorably than favorably by the public.

Just 44 percent of Americans held a positive view of the IRS while 51 percent of those surveyed viewed it negatively. The IRS has often been accused of aggressive tax collection tactics and abusive behaviour, resulting in its deep-rooted unpopularity in American society.