The following are selected findings from a survey of 946 adult residents of the United States interviewed by telephone Feb. 16-March 11 by the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University. Scripps Howard News Service designed the survey under a grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation.
Here are some questions about whether you feel government in America is open and transparent or whether you think government is closed and secretive. When talking about the local government in your community, do you think local government is very open, somewhat open, somewhat secretive or very secretive?
Very Open .......................... 11 percent
Somewhat Open ...................... 46
Somewhat Secretive ................. 31
Very Secretive ..................... 12
How about your state government? Is it is very open, somewhat open, somewhat secretive or very secretive?
Very Open ........................... 7
Somewhat Open ...................... 37
Somewhat Secretive ................. 38
Very Secretive ..................... 16
Don't Know/Other Response ........... 2
How about the federal government based in Washington, D.C.?
Very Open ........................... 5
Somewhat Open ...................... 19
Somewhat Secretive ................. 33
Very Secretive ..................... 40
Don't Know/Other Response ........... 3
Have you ever heard of a federal law called the Freedom of Information Act?
Yes ................................ 67
No ................................. 32
Don't Know .......................... 1
This law is meant to allow the American people see what information the federal government has obtained about them or about issues they are interested in. Have you ever requested information under the Freedom of Information Act?
Yes ................................. 6
No ................................. 94
As best as you can tell, do you think the Freedom of Information Act is a good law or not a good law?
Good Law ........................... 77
Not a Good Law ...................... 8
Don't Know/Other Response .......... 15
How often do you think the federal government obeys this law and allows people to see information they are entitled to see? Does the federal government always obey this law, usually obey this law, only sometimes obey it, rarely obey it or never obey this law?
Always Obeys ........................ 4
Usually Obeys ...................... 23
Only Sometimes Obeys ............... 42
Rarely Obeys ....................... 16
Never Obeys ......................... 3
Don't Know/Other Response .......... 12
President Obama on his first day in office said he wants to usher in a new era of open government. He ordered all federal agencies to adopt what he calls a "presumption in favor of disclosure" when handling requests under the Freedom of Information Act. Do you think he is doing the right thing or not in giving this order or not?
Yes, Doing the Right Thing ........ 79
No, Not Doing the Right Thing ...... 9
Don't Know/Other Response ......... 12
(E-mail Thomas Hargrove at hargrovet(at)shns.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
With SUNSHINEPOLL
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