As incumbent members of Congress gaze forebodingly across the electoral landscape towards November, a new Zogby interactive poll shows some astoundingly poor results in regard to how trustworthy Americans find Congress, the Courts, the Media and other public institutions:
Overall, just 3% said they think Congress in general is trustworthy, compared to 24% who said President Bush is trustworthy and 29% who said they can put their faith in the national court system, the survey shows. Corporate leaders in America are nearly as widely distrusted as Congress – just 7% said they are trustworthy.
However, Americans do feel they can bank on the actions and words of their friends and co-workers – 75% said the people they work with and live near are trustworthy.
How Americans rate the trustworthiness of select groups, with 5 being most trustworthy and 1 being not at all trustworthy.
High (4+5)
Medium (3)
Low (1+2)
Not Sure
Congress
3%
20%
76%
—
Corporate Leaders
7%
23%
69%
1%
The Media
11%
31%
58%
—
The President
24%
7%
69%
—
The Courts
29%
38%
33%
1%
Friends and Co-Workers
75%
21%
4%
1%
Despite the ongoing debate regarding the statistical veracity of online surveys, which is valid, the size of the sample conducted 4/18-24 was 8,175 adults with an error margin estimated to be 1.1%, thus making the results worth considering.