What Determines the Public’s Evaluations of State-Level Environmental Agencies?

Americans’ evaluations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are well-documented by polling and survey outlets. However, evaluations of state environmental agencies are not routinely measured. Understanding Americans’ evaluations of these agencies is important because agencies rely on funding and support from elected officials who pay close attention to opinions in the public. Negative evaluations can lead to the inability to pursue assigned mandate(s). In this article, I use unique survey data to explore factors that shape opinion of state environmental agencies. I find that, even when accounting for partisanship, impressions of environmental quality and trust in state bureaucratic institutions shape opinions.