Where is the Trust? Small biz Comes Out On Top.

Issue Date: Daily 'Dog - May 20, 2009, New Public Policy Survey Shows Americans Report Low Confidence in Government, the Media and Corporations, More in Churches

The continuing economic downturn may be taking a toll on the confidence Americans have in corporations and the government, and there may be a certain "kill the messenger" message that Americans are sending to the media, according to a recent Capstrat (www.capstrat.com) Public Policy Polling nationwide survey. Only 5% of the 568 respondents in the recent survey said they have "a lot of confidence" in the media, compared to 50% who reported "little confidence." That compares to 8% who said they had a lot of confidence in corporations. And 52% said they had little confidence. U.S. banks track the confidence ratings of corporations in general, coming in at 13% who said they had a lot of confidence in banks, and 51% who said they had little confidence. "This certainly is a time of economic and social disruption. Many Americans don't know who or what they can trust," said Capstrat CEO Ken Eudy. "Now is the time for businesses and the media to make sure their business practices with customers, employees and other stakeholders are straightforward and transparent." Other notable Capstrat-Public Policy Poll results included: Half of the American voters polled said they had a lot of confidence in churches. Government fared better than corporations, with 23% saying they had a lot of confidence in government, while 50% said they had little confidence. Compared to corporations (8% reporting a lot of confidence), small business enjoyed a high confidence level from 40% of poll respondents. Some 57% of Americans said they have little confidence in labor unions. The national survey on financial stress, conducted by the Public Policy Polling April 24-26, 2009, polled 568 adults. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. Survey questionnaire and results at www.publicpolicypolling.com.