More than 56 percent of the public do not believe the government declaration made earlier this month that domestic beef is safe from mad cow disease, according to a Kyodo News survey released Tuesday.

In addition, nearly four out of five respondents consider health authorities' handling of the matter problematic.

According to the nationwide phone survey carried out over the weekend, 56.7 percent of respondents said the Sept. 18 declaration is "not believable" or "rather unbelievable," surpassing the 41.1 percent of those who said it can be trusted "totally" or "to a certain extent."