A new study has found that more Australians trust the country's Defence Force than its churches.

The study by researchers at the Queensland University of Technology looked at social attitudes towards a range of organisations including police, banks, politicians and the public service.

It found more than two-thirds of Australians had little or no confidence in the courts and legal system, and that 60 per cent do not trust Federal Parliament.

Professor Clive Bean says only 35 per cent of people asked had confidence in churches and other religious institutions, while 82 per cent trusted the Defence Force.

"The era that we've moved into, reinforced by what happened over the weekend where terrorism is now something that we have to look out for in our daily lives, I think means that people look to the defence forces as a way of feeling a bit safer about the world that they live in," Professor Bean said.

Trust in the Defence Force is up 14 per cent since a similar study in 1995 but churches are losing Australians' trust, down 8 per cent since 1995.

Banks and financial institutions are the least trusted, according to the study.

Professor Bean says public confidence in large companies is down substantially, a trend that has ben continuing for 20 years.

"I think we only need to look at some of the incidents like the collapse of HIH and One.Tel and the behaviour of high-profile business people who have in a sense brought big business into a certain amount of disrepute," he said.

Trust in major Australian companies has dropped 17 per cent since 1995, down from 59 per cent to 42 per cent.

The study found 70 per cent of people trusted the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Survey figures

The trust levels found in the study were:

-Defence Force - 82 per cent had a great deal/quite a lot confidence, 18 per cent had little or no confidence;

-The police - 72 per cent had a great deal/quite a lot confidence, 28 per cent had little or no confidence;

-Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) - 70 per cent had a great deal/quite a lot confidence, 29 per cent had little or no confidence;

-Universities - 70 per cent had a great deal/quite a lot confidence, 30 per cent had little or no confidence;

-Charities - 61 per cent had a great deal/quite a lot confidence, 39 per cent had little or no confidence;

-Major Australian companies - 42 per cent had a great deal/quite a lot confidence, 58 per cent had little or no confidence;

-Federal Parliament - 41 per cent had a great deal/quite a lot confidence, 60 per cent had little or no confidence;

-Churches or religious institutions - 35 per cent had a confidence, 65 per cent had little or no confidence;

-The public service - 32 per cent had confidence, 68 per cent had little or no confidence;

-Courts & the legal system - 29 per cent had a great deal/quite a lot confidence, 71 per cent had little or no confidence;

-Unions - 28 per cent had a great deal/quite a lot confidence, 72 per cent had little or no confidence;

-Banks and financial institutions - 26 per cent had a great deal/quite a lot confidence, 74 per cent had little or no confidence.