Washington ( CNN ) -- Folklore says that George Washington was known for never telling a lie . But as the United States marks its first president 's birthday , a new poll indicates that 74 percent of the public thinks the father of our country did lie to the public while he served as president . It 's an indication that Americans think the government has been broken for a very , very long time . The CNN/Opinion Corporation survey was released Monday on the 278th anniversary of Washington 's birth . Three quarters of people questioned in the survey think that modern-day federal officials are not honest , a figure that is essentially unchanged since 1994 . But the poll suggests that Americans think the problem of dishonesty is not a new one . And it 's not just George Washington ; 71 percent think that Abraham Lincoln , known as `` Honest Abe , '' also lied to the public while serving in the White House . Full results ( pdf ) `` It 's all part of a rich tradition in American history -- the belief that politicians are not always telling the truth , '' says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland . What should we make of the figures for Washington and Lincoln ? `` Part of it may be the recognition that , however much we revere them today , both men were politicians , and Americans are always a little cynical about people seeking office . Part of it may also be a realistic assessment that the president sometimes has to keep things from the public , '' adds Holland . `` But whether it 's based on cynicism or realism , or a little of both , it 's an indication that Americans think that our government has been broken for many , many years . '' According to CNN poll numbers released Sunday , Americans overwhelmingly think that the government in this country is broken , but the public overwhelmingly holds out hope that what 's broken can be fixed . The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted February 12-15 , with 1,023 adult Americans questioned by telephone . The survey 's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the overall survey . CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report .
74 % of people in poll think George Washington did lie to the public as president . `` Honest Abe '' Lincoln fares only a little better -- 71 % believe he lied as well . Poll suggests Americans think the problem of dishonesty is not a new one .