Americans increasingly suspect the federal government has become cloaked in secrecy, a concern they don't have with their local and state governments.
People also overwhelmingly believe that their federal leaders have become sneaky, listening to telephone conversations or opening private mail without getting court permission, according to a survey of 1,008 adults commissioned by the American Society of Newspaper Editors for Sunshine Week.
The poll, conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University, found that concerns about federal secrecy are rising.
Twenty-five percent believe the federal government is either "very open" or "somewhat open," while 69 percent said it's either "somewhat secretive" or "very secretive."
That's a shift from a similar poll last year, when 33 percent thought the federal government was open and 62 percent thought it was secretive. About 6 percent and 5 percent were undecided in the 2007 and 2006 polls.
Read the full report on the Sunshine Week Web site
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