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More than half of Americans say they think that federal workers are overpaid for the work they do, and more than a third think they are less qualified than those working in the private sector, according to a Washington Post poll.

Half also say the men and women who keep the government running do not work as hard as employees at private companies.

The critical views of federal workers – just one in seven of whom works in the D.C. area – echo the anti-Washington sentiment roiling the midterm elections, as some Americans lose confidence in their government to solve the country’s problems.

Still, of those who have interacted with a federal agency employee, three in four report that the experience was positive. In addition, the survey revealed a generation gap, with younger Americans more likely to give federal civil servants positive reviews.

The strong sentiments give ammunition to both defenders and critics of the country’s 1.9 million-member federal workforce in what has become a bitter debate on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail over the size and value of the federal bureaucracy.

BA