A new poll reveals growing mistrust of Australia's political leaders and concern about corruption within government.

The Australian National University (ANU) has surveyed more than 2,000 people across the country about their perceptions of corruption and ethical conduct in the public sector.

More than 40 per cent of those surveyed believe the level of corruption is on the rise in Australia.

The results show broad mistrust of political leaders.

One in three people believe the Federal Government is corrupt and only one in five believe that governments can usually be trusted to do the right thing.

The media and trade unions were also viewed as the most corrupt institutions.

"While many people thought corruption had increased, less than 1 per cent of the people had any personal experience of dealing with a public official looking for a bribe," said ANU Professor Adam Graycar.

About half of those interviewed in the survey did not know how to report corruption.

At the other end of the spectrum, the poll shows there is a high level of confidence in the public service, armed forces and police, and they are considered the least corrupt.

On the big issues facing Australia today, the economy, employment and immigration were the main concerns.

Professor Graycar says almost a quarter of people wanted to see better government.

"We haven't had that in our polls before. People are not happy with some of the squabbling in government, the low repute in government," he said.

"It's not a party political thing, it's really about where our leaders are taking us and where politicians are taking us."

Satisfaction with democracy in Australia remains high by international standards, although it is at its lowest level since 1998.

The drop in satisfaction has been attributed to the quality of the government since 2010.

"We have very high trust in our democracy. We do have a fair amount of faith in our institutions and when there are breaches there are processes to deal with those breaches," he said.