Poll Asks the Public Who They Trust Inside the DC Beltway
Jan 25th, 2010 • Posted in: Research ReportThe Red Cross, Nature Conservancy, and AARP take tops spots on trusted list
From Harris Interactive:
“Among all adults who are familiar with them, the American Red Cross, the Nature Conservancy, AARP, the National Association of Home Builders and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are seen as the most trusted among 12 large organizations that influence politics and business in Washington. PhRMA, the AFL-CIO, the NRA and the Sierra Club are perceived to be the least trusted. Organizations seen with the most power are the AFL-CIO, PhRMA, AARP and the NRA….
“Among those who are familiar with them, the most trusted organizations (based on those who trust them ‘a great deal’ or ‘a fair amount’) are:
- The American Red Cross – 86%
- The Nature Conservancy – 76%
- AARP – 70%
- Nat’l Association of Home Builders – 67%
- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce – 66%
“The least trusted organizations on the list are (also based on those who trust them ‘a great deal’ or ‘a fair amount:’
- PhRMA – 37%
- AFL-CIO – 38%
- The NRA – 56%
- Sierra Club – 60%
Power in Washington
“The organizations listed that are believed to have the most power, based on the number of people who are thought to have a ‘great deal’ or ‘a fair amount’ of power (as percentages of those who are familiar with them) are:
- The AFL-CIO – 90%
- PhRMA – 85%
- AARP – 80%
- The NRA – 80%
- National Education Association – 79%
- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce – 77%
“The organizations thought to have the least power are:
- The Nature Conservancy – 48%
- Sierra Club – 59%
- American Red Cross – 59%
- National Association of Homebuilders – 63%
“In the five years that The Harris Poll has been measuring public perceptions of these organizations, the results have generally been that those with the least power are most trusted while those with the most power are least trusted. For example, the American Red Cross and the Nature Conservancy receive very high marks for being trusted; at the same time they are seen as having less power. However, by their sheer size and scope of work they are still able to work around their lack of power.
“Groups such as the AFL-CIO, PhRMA and the NRA are the least trusted. Nonetheless they are thought to have lots of power. These groups have risen to power status by the sheer fact they survive on controversy and their ability to play politics very well.
“Two interesting case studies are worth noting. AARP and PhRMA are extremely involved in the health care reform debate. Both have seen their trust numbers go down while the perceptions of their power have gone up…. ”
For the full press release from Harris Interactive, Jan. 19, click here.
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