You see those ads about big companies cleaning up oil spills and ads about huge firms taking steps to “go green.” But do you believe them?

Not really. Results from the third annual “Gibbs & Soell Sense & Sustainability Study” show despite news coverage on corporations going green, most consumers are still highly skeptical of corporate commitment to the environment. But they are still intrigued.

“Sense & Sustainability” shows only 21 percent of Americans believe corporations are truly good stewards of the Earth. But 71 percent of consumers and 70 percent of executives say they are interested in learning what companies are doing in terms of sustainability.

Interestingly, most Americans think the media only report bad “green” news. Three-quarters of U.S. adults and 69 percent of executives feel the media are more likely to report on “bad news” than “good news” when covering how companies are addressing efforts to go green, the study’s authors report. I can’t remember the last time I turned on CNN without seeing a feel-good report on how someone is saving electricity or someone else is saving a forest. But, the bad news prevails consumers say.

The survey was fielded on behalf of Gibbs & Soell by Harris Interactive. It was conducted online within the United States via QuickQuery. Adults ages 18 and over were polled, along with 303 corporate executives. Click here to read more.