Americans say they trust major companies like Clorox, Amazon, and Publix to keep the country going during the pandemic more than they trust the government

• Clorox, Amazon, and Publix landed in the top five of a ranking of corporate reputations released by The Harris Poll and Axios on Thursday.
• The report, which included the polling of more than 34,000 American adults, said that people had very positive views of companies that rose to the challenges of COVID-19.
• In fact, 76% of those surveyed said they believed companies were more reliable than the federal government when it came to keeping the country going during the pandemic.

Americans are looking to companies — not the federal government — to keep the country running amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Harris Poll, together with Axios, on Thursday released the results of its annual ranking of corporate reputations, called the Axios Harris Poll 100.

The survey, which involved the polling of more than 34,000 American adults, was conducted in two different phases in order to account for changes brought about by the pandemic. Respondents were asked to rate various companies based on how they view their reputation. The results were based on data compiled in late June and early July.

Some companies have seen their reputations soar amid the pandemic.

The Clorox Company, maker of products that many consumers have turned to keep themselves safe, came out on top for the first time. It also ranked first in the ethics, products and services, and citizenship categories.

The Hershey Company, Amazon, Publix, and General Mills rounded out the top five.

Procter & Gamble, maker of Charmin, Bounty, and other household essentials, ranked eighth overall.

Grocery stores including Wegmans, Costco, and Kroger also performed well on the Axios Harris Poll 100. These stores all stayed open during state-mandated shutdowns in the spring, which could account for the reputation boost.

"Americans need their groceries and critical supplies," the report reads. "Instead of looking to the government to provide solutions to COVID-19, Americans turned to the reliability and comfort of the ultimate American safety net: big business, indicating that perhaps politics don't matter as much as keeping families fed, fridges stocked, and hands clean."

In fact, 76% of those surveyed said they believed companies were more reliable than the federal government when it came to keeping the country going during the pandemic.