Bureaucrats at the middle and upper levels of government are not representative of the American public. They tend to be highly educated, middle-aged white males. But none of these factors explains much about the attitudes bureaucrats hold. Surveys have found top-level bureaucrats to be slightly more liberal than the average voter but not as liberal as members of the media. Yet even this generalization is a bit misleading.
Attitudes tend to vary depending on the agency for which a bureaucrat works.
While attitudes differ, they do not necessarily influence bureaucratic behavior because much of bureaucratic work is governed by standardized rules and procedures. It is only where roles are loosely structured that a civil servant's attitudes come into play. The nature of the job . Some agencies have a sense of n-tission, a clear doctrine that is shared by its members. Thus the mission of the agency may become synonymous with the public interest in the minds of many bureaucrats.