We trust TV over politicians on Iraq

More German, French and British people trust their national TV station to provide them with reliable information on Iraq than they do their own governments, a survey has found.

And almost six in 10 European adults admit to not trusting either body to give them the honest facts about the post-war situation, according to a poll of 3,000 adults across the three countries.

One in five people in Germany (20%) and almost a quarter of Britons (24%) said they trusted TV stations more, the survey for CNN/Time by TNS found.

Just 6% of those questioned in the UK said they trusted the Government most and only 9% in Germany.

Respondents in France said they trusted their government and national TV stations on Iraq in equal measures (12% for each).

"These findings suggest that governments in three key European countries have done little to convince people that the information they are giving out on Iraq can be trusted," said Graham Page of TNS.

"Moreover, with the Hutton Inquiry currently under way in the UK, trust in government-sourced information on Iraq is particularly low among Britons.

"People seem to be prepared to look to a wide range of alternative sources when they feel they are not being presented with accurate information from so-called 'official sources'."

The survey also found that eight out of 10 adults in Britain are still prepared to support troops being sent to Iraq to keep the peace, compared to just 62% of
those in France and 44% in Germany.