Politicians and the media in Malaysia are seen as among the least trustworthy, according to a survey by the Centre For a Better Tomorrow (Cenbet).

The survey involved 1,000 respondents nationwide aged between 21 and 65, weighted against the country's demographic make-up.

Politicians were at the bottom of the list, with only 16 percent of respondents trusting them.

Second from the bottom was the local mainstream media, with 23 percent trustworthiness. The local online alternative media was only slightly better, with 31 percent trustworthiness.

The main reason for the distrust in both the mainstream and online media was the perceived "interference of external parties".

The third least trustworthy institution listed was the federal government, with 29 percent.

The survey was conducted from Feb 8 to Feb 22 this year, prior to the May 9 general election that saw a change of the federal government after 61 years.

The other institutions listed by ascending trustworthiness are municipal councils (38 percent), Royal Malaysian Police (44 percent) and Malaysian courts (45 percent).

The main grouse of those who did not trust local councils was attributed to inefficiency.

As for those who distrusted the police, the overriding reason was corruption while those who trusted the force attributed it to efficiency.

The survey also found that half of the respondents believed the judiciary was corrupt while 17 percent disagreed. Another 33 percent was undecided.

The Malaysian Armed Forces is the only institution to be trusted by more than half of the respondents at 60 percent.

Those who trusted the Armed Forces cited their discipline and training, while those who distrusted questioned their impartiality and fair treatment.