Edelman today released the 2009 edition of its annual Trust Barometer, and not surprisingly, the results aren’t promising. Among the findings:

-Nearly two-thirds of informed publics (62%) trust corporations less than they did a year ago

-Only 38% said they trust business to do what is right — a 20% plunge since last year — and only 17% said they trust information from a company’s CEO

-Seventy-seven percent (77%) said they refused to buy products or services from a company they distrusted — the first time the survey explored people’s direct actions toward trusted and distrusted companies. Seventy-two percent (72%) criticized a distrusted company to a friend or colleague.

“Our survey confirms that it’s going to be harder to rebuild our economies because no institution has captured the trust that business has lost — trust is not a zero-sum game,” said Edelman CEO Richard Edelman in a statement.

Read the full report here. Kudos to Edelman for “walking the walk” in making the online report extremely social media friendly.