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US public loses faith in business
By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson and Francesco Guerrera
January 25, 2011
Americans have grown less trusting of business in the past year, bucking a global trend of rising confidence in companies, governments and other institutions, according to data to be presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Just 46 per cent of Americans last year said they trusted business, down eight points from 2009, according to research by Edelman, a communications consultancy, which will be presented on Wednesday. Global trust in business was up two points to 56 per cent, by contrast.
The US decline has been driven by a backlash against bankers and their bonuses, with the number of Americans who trust US banks dropping to a low of 25 per cent, down from 33 per cent a year ago and 71 per cent before the financial crisis.
Edelman’s 11th annual poll of 5,000 educated, wealthy and “well-informed” individuals in 23 countries was taken at the end of a year that featured high-profile crises at BP, Goldman Sachs and Toyota.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c60c01ba-27e5-11e0-8abc-00144feab49a.html#axzz1CCfEHq00And this was "educated, wealthy" individuals who were polled! BBI