Americans continue to disapprove of the management and operations of the federal government, as Republican approval slips

A new Partnership for Public Service survey shows that the public continues to be pessimistic about the direction of the federal government.

Some 64% of Americans say the management of the federal government is headed in the wrong direction, and support among Republicans has dropped significantly from a year ago. Today, only 51% say the management of the government is headed in the “right direction,” down from 69% last year. Similar trends emerge on the topic of government operations.

Continuing trends and a notable shift

The Partnership has been tracking public opinion about the management of the federal government by conducting surveys every six months, starting in April 2025.

Over the past year, there have been slight shifts in how the public perceives this issue, although opinions seem to have mostly crystallized.

In April 2025, 30% of Americans said the management of the government was moving in the right direction, compared with 22% a year later.

Similarly, last April, 58% of the public said that management of the federal government was heading in the wrong direction, while 64% said the same a year later.

However, Republicans’ perceptions of both the management and operations of the government have worsened.

In April 2025, shortly after the second Trump administration took office, 69% of Republicans said the management of the federal government was headed in the right direction, compared with only 51% a year later.

Similarly, in April 2025, 60% of Republicans said the federal government was operating better that it was a year ago, while 17% said it was operating worse. A year later, just 54% said the government was operating better, compared with 28% who said it was operating worse.

While Democrats have remained steadfast in their disapproval of how the government is operating and being managed, the views of independents have slightly fluctuated over time.

In April 2025, 52% of independents said the government was operating worse than a year ago, shifting to 59% six months later and 54% in April 2026.

Like Republicans, independents’ approval of the management of the government has trended worse over time. Fully 56% said it was headed in the wrong direction in April 2025; 65% said the same a year later.

Taken together, these findings show that public opinion on the state of the federal government has largely solidified. However, the most meaningful shift, declining Republican approval, may indicate that dissatisfaction is beginning to extend to those who are more likely to align with the Trump administration.

Author: Hannah Sobran