Public perception of charities continues to lag

WASHINGTON — Three years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks unleashed a wave of charitable donations, a new poll shows that Americans continue to have questions about how charities spend their resources.

The survey by the Brookings Institution’s Center for Public Service found that just 15 percent of Americans have a “great deal” of confidence in charitable organizations, down from 18 percent last October. Overall, 65 percent of the 1,417 people surveyed have confidence in charities, while 31 percent have doubts.