Of course this
Almost everyone (97%) said they consider themselves to be trustworthy, and 85% said they think their personal goals in life are less important than acting with honesty and integrity.
makes me question the value of the whole polling enterprise.
U.S. Public Widely Distrusts Its Leaders
Lichtman/Zogby Interactive poll: Gov’t., corporate scandals damage public trust in institutions at the bedrock of society.
As an increasing volume of news about political and corporate leaders comes out of investigations and federal courthouses instead of boardrooms and Capitol Hill hearing rooms, a new Lichtman/Zogby Interactive poll confirms Americans are distrustful of leaders across the societal spectrum.
Three out of four (75%) said they trust government less than they did five years ago, just 5% said they think corporations do right by the consumers they are in business to serve, and only 25% feel the reporting is fair and accurate in the newspapers they read or the nightly broadcast network news they watch on television. Nearly 60% said they believe the “state of honesty in America” today is in poor shape (18% said it is in the worst possible shape).
How Americans rate the trustworthiness of select groups, with 5 being most trustworthy and 1 being not at all trustworthy.
In a wide–ranging survey of more than 8,000 respondents nationwide, Americans were put to the test as to how they would react in a variety of ethical circumstances, and they identified steps that could be taken to improve integrity in the U.S. In the workplace, almost all (95%) said that “all employees should be held to the same ethical standards,” and 65% said the “virtue” should not be the only reward for doing the right thing – that those who come forward with information regarding an illegal or unethical act should be regarded in a similar manner to those people who meet a sales or other goal, the poll showed.
