Americans' level of confidence in small business leaders continues to grow compared to other public and private institutions, according to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive®.

Some 45% of Harris poll respondents expressed a great deal of confidence in leaders of small business. Since being added to the list of institutions in 2005, small business has consistently ranked near the top of the Harris Interactive Confidence in Leadership Index.

Military leaders came in first in the poll with 47%. Major educational and medical institutions ranked third, with respondents giving these two institutions a 38% confidence rating.

Leaders of organized labor and law firms ranked low in the poll, with 32% of the respondents reporting that they have hardly any confidence in either of these groups.

In addition to the institutions mentioned above, the poll measures the level of public confidence in the leaders of Congress, the White House, the courts and justice system, Wall Street, the press, television news, and religion.

View the full poll results.