Poll: Americans Fear Government Will Further Damage Economy

Federal officials don't inspire confidence

Last week's "fiscal cliff" deal did little to ease fears among Americans that Washington could harm the U.S. economy or their personal finances in the months to come, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday.

The online poll found that President Barack Obama gets more credit than his Republican adversaries for the agreement, which canceled across-the-board tax increases and postponed broad spending cuts that could have pushed the economy back into recession.