A Rasmussen poll finds that 51 percent of Americans view the Facebook social networking site somewhat unfavorably, while another 48 percent are suspicious of terms surrounding its initial public offering (IPO) in May.

The company went public in a much-hyped IPO valued at $38 per share.

The price tanked amid technical glitches and also on reports underwriters disclosed bearish analyst calls on Facebook's revenue to select institutional clients, leaving retail clients in the dark.

Editor's Note: I Wish I Were Wrong — Economist Laments Being Right. See Interview.

The Rasmussen national telephone survey finds that 45 percent of American adults view Facebook somewhat favorably, while 51 percent view it somewhat unfavorably, the latter figure up seven points from 44 percent in March.

The poll finds most Americans view the IPO with suspicion just as they do with all public offerings — 19 percent of Americans consider IPOs to be fair for ordinary investors, while 48 percent view IPOs are unfair.

Some 33 percent aren't sure.

"The uproar over Facebook’s first public stock offering has soured perceptions of the social networking service, perhaps in part because of suspicions about the fairness of the stock selling process itself," Rasmussen says of the findings.

One reason the share price fell to around $27 today from the $38 initial price stems from concerns that despite the site's 900 million users, monetizing that base will prove challenging.

A separate poll shows that Facebook users aren't likely to buy something they see advertised or even mentioned on the iconic social network.

Four out of five Facebook users have never bought a product or service either through advertising or through comments appearing on Facebook, a Reuters/Ipsos poll finds.

Meanwhile, 34 percent of Facebook users are spending less time on the website than six months ago, the poll also finds, adding only 20 percent are spending more time on the site.

Editor's Note: I Wish I Were Wrong — Economist Laments Being Right. See Interview.