Gallup: Americans Losing Faith in Congress, Not Happy With Banks or Big Business
July 23, 2010, 10:45 AM ET
By David Wessel
blogs.wsj.com
Gallup is out with the results of its always-intriguing annual survey of Americans’ views on our national institutions — and it looks particularly bad for Congress, and not too good for banks or big business either.
Asked to gauge their confidence in 16 institutions, only 11% of those they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in 16 institutions, only 11% Congress, down from 17% in 2009 and a percentage point lower than the previous low for Congress, recorded in 2008.
The military (76% down from 82% last year) and small business (66% vs. 67%) top the list, as usual. But only 19% (up from 16% last year, the lowest level since Gallup first started asking in 1973) said they have a great deal or a quite a lot of confidence in big business . And 23% (up from 22%)said the same about banks, well below the 49% recorded just five years ago. Newspapers, by the way, held steady at 25%.
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