Survey paints bleak picture of public trust in government Taxpayers overwhelmingly believe the federal government has failed to explain how it collects and spends money, creating a growing expectations gap that is eroding the public's trust in its leaders, according to a survey released Wednesday. The survey, Public Attitudes to Government Accountability and Transparency 2008, measured how 1,652 adults felt about federal, state and local governments' financial management and accountability to taxpayers. The results paint a grim picture of the public's unhappiness with both the availability of financial information and the way it is delivered to citizens, said Relmond Van Daniker, executive director of the Association of Government Accountants, which commissioned the study. The poll was conducted by Harris Interactive, a market research firm based in Rochester, N.Y. "The results of this poll are not surprising," Van Daniker said Wednesday at a Washington press conference. "They show a wide level of distrust and dissatisfaction across the board." Among the more significant findings: --While 72 percent of respondents believe it is extremely or very important to receive financial management information from the federal government, only 5 percent are equally satisfied with the information they receive. --Although 73 percent of those surveyed said it is extremely or very important for the government to be open and honest with its spending, just 5 percent said the government is meeting those expectations. --71 percent of respondents who receive financial management information from the government, or believe that it is important to receive such data, said this information would influence how they vote....