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The survey by the Centre for Policy Studies said 40 per cent had no trust at all in the House of Commons and three-quarters of the public had never had any contact with their MP.
The Who Governs Britain? report also found a high level of ignorance about how the country is run.
Despite Brexit media coverage, 15 per cent did not know we are still members of the EU and 19 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds believe the UK has already left.
Britain does not formally leave until 11pm on March 29 next year.
Of 2,000 surveyed by Deltapoll, 71 per cent of respondents understood MPs make laws affecting them.
Only 61 per cent understood the same applied to the EU. When asked which level of government acts most in Britons’ interest, the most popular answer was: “None of them”.
Forty-nine per cent of Londoners are unaware they have an elected mayor or he has powers that affect their lives. Forty-two per cent of those in Scotland and 54 per cent in Wales were similarly unaware that devolved governments made or enforced laws applying to them.
One potential reason for a lack of faith in elected officials is the lack of contact with constituents. When asked if they had contact with an elected representative a huge majority said no.
Seventy-four per cent had no contact with their MP, and only slightly more had heard from district, county, or borough councils, with 65 per cent reporting no contact at all.
In the foreword to the report Mr Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister, said: “The stark polling results show too many people simply don’t know where power sits or have faith in the people at all tiers of government who discharge it.
“Whatever party you are in, that should be troubling.
“If individuals feel less powerful and less connected to their elected representatives, we must take steps to understand why – and take steps to change it – or risk lasting damage to mainstream politics.”
Report author Matt Warman, Conservative MP for Boston and Skegness, said: “It’s clear from this polling people do not feel properly represented by those in power.”
He added “if we are to truly govern by consent, this must change”.
Survey director Robert Colvile said: “This new polling illustrates the extraordinary size of the problem our politicians are facing.
“The British people are simultaneously sceptical of government and largely ignorant about it. That is hardly a recipe for a healthy democracy.”
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