Gallup Survey Reveals How Americans View 25 U.S. Business Sectors
Americans’ perceptions of various key U.S. business sectors remain historically weak overall, with just farming, computers and restaurants earning majority-positive ratings this year, according to the results of Gallup’s recent Work and Education Poll.
At the same time, several industries, including movies, television and radio, and telephones, have sunk to record lows, while the federal government again ranks as the least popular sector, Gallup said.
The average positive rating across all 25 sectors measured in Gallup’s Aug. 1-20 Work and Education poll is 38%, essentially unchanged from last year’s 37% average. This marks the fifth consecutive year it has averaged under 40%.
The farming and computer industries led the annual ratings of key U.S. business sectors, with 60% and 59% of Americans, respectively, viewing them “very” or “somewhat” positively. The restaurant industry was rated positively by 52% of Americans.
Since Gallup began tracking this measure in 2001, these three industries have consistently earned majority-positive ratings, based on a five-point scale ranging from “very positive” to “very negative,” in nearly all years.
At the other end of the spectrum, the federal government has returned to the position of worst-rated sector. It displaces the pharmaceutical industry, which had occupied the lowest position for the past two years but has rebounded with an 8-percentage-point increase this year.