"Poll: Trust in Organized Religion at Near-Record Low"

Source: WorldWide Religious News

According to a new Gallup Poll, U.S. residents trust the military and the police force significantly more than the church and organized religion. Only 46 percent of respondents said they had either a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the church compared with 69 percent who said they trusted the military and 54 percent who trust police officers. The figures are among the lowest for institutionalized religion in the three-and-a-half decades that Gallup has conducted the poll. Peaking at 68 percent in May 1975, the numbers bottomed out at 45 percent in June 2003. While confidence is waning for organized religion, the numbers are even bleaker for other U.S. institutions. Just 25 percent expressed confidence in the presidency while a mere 14 percent say they trust Congress. The poll was conducted by telephone June 14-17. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.