I'm not much of a fan of polls, myself. But if you like them, you should at least looks at one that is done well like the GSS.

For example:

PreQuestion Text
165. I am going to name some institutions in this country. As far as the people running these institutions are concerned, would you say you have a great deal of confidence, only some confidence, or hardly any confidence at all in them?

Guess when "A Great Deal" had its highest value, and when "Hardly Any" had its highest value, and think about the state of the US then....

Confidence in Congress since 1973 - http://publicdata.no...&count=2&cases1=4

Have fun.

Cheers,
Scott.