Poll: Trust In Government Shrinking, Trust In Corporations Growing

Americans' trust in governmental institutions is shrinking, while their faith in business and corporations is growing, according to a public trust poll recently released Thursday by the firm, Public Strategies.

Trust in both major political parties is low. Forty-one percent of Americans trust Democrats to deal with the nation's problems, down from 46 percent in October and a 52 percent high last March. Forty percent trust Republicans to do the same, up slightly from 39 percent in October, but the same as in a separate survey in March.

Despite the low level of confidence in both Democrats and Republicans, 54 percent of those polled still believe in President Obama's ability to address the nation's key issues, a number that has remained steady since last July.

According to the "Public Trust Monitor," 56 percent of Americans trust the government to do what's right, no change from October's survey, but down from 63 percent in March 2009.

Forty-three percent trust corporations to do what's right, up from 40 percent in October and 37 percent in March. In a similar trend, 48 percent of those surveyed trust corporations to manage finances responsibly, while only 30 percent trust government to do the same. In March, 40 percent of voters trusted government and 39 percent trusted corporations.

The survey of 1000 registered voters was conducted online from Jan. 11-12 by the Texas-based consulting firm.

Take a look at the full results here.