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Only 3% of Americans Fully Trust Congress
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Few adults in the United States have complete confidence in the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to a poll by Zogby Interactive. Only three per cent of respondents express a high level of trust in Congress.
Only seven per cent of respondents hold total confidence in corporate leaders, and 11 per cent feel the same way about the media. The president and the courts were next on the list, with 24 per cent and 29 per cent respectively.
Conversely, 75 per cent of respondents have a high level of confidence in their friends and co-workers.
In the November 2004 congressional ballot, the Republican Party elected 232 lawmakers to the House of Representatives, while the Democratic Party secured 202 seats. The Republicans also have a majority in the Senate, with 55 members in the 100-seat upper house. George W. Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election.
American voters will renew the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate on Nov. 7.
Polling Data
How Americans rate the trustworthiness of select groups.
The scale includes High (4+5), Medium (3) and Low (1+2).
High | Medium | Low | 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% |
Source: Zogby Interactive
Methodology: Online interviews with 8,175 American adults, conducted from Apr. 18 to Apr. 24, 2006. Margin of error is 1.1 per cent.