More than eight in ten respondents (83%) reported they trusted most people. This was the highest level of trust when compared with other categories such as government organisations or the news media.
Political parties had the lowest levels of trust with approximately one in four people reporting they trusted political parties.
Seven in ten respondents reported they trust in the Gardaí.
Close to half of respondents (47%) reported they trusted the news media.
Approximately half of respondents reported they would be very comfortable asking a neighbour to keep a set of keys to their home for emergencies.
More than nine in ten respondents believed that a lost wallet or purse containing €100 and their identity details would be returned if it was found by a neighbour.
The health system saw the lowest levels of satisfaction when compared with the education system or administrative services with 26% of people reporting they were satisfied.
When asked what issues face Ireland, the availability, quality, or affordability of housing was the most selected answer (71%).
Respondents to the Trust Survey 2023 were asked to rate their trust in people, government, and public institutions on a scale of 0 (Not at all) to 10 (Completely). In line with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) recommended groupings, trust levels were grouped as Don’t trust (0-4), Neutral (5), or Trust (6-10). In addition to questions on interpersonal and institutional trust, respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction levels with specific public services on a similar scale of 0 (Not at all satisfied) to 10 (Completely satisfied). Satisfaction levels were grouped as Not satisfied (0-4), Neutral (5), or Satisfied (6-10). Mean trust and satisfaction scores were calculated by adding individual scores and dividing the total by the number of individuals. Respondents were also asked about important issues facing Ireland, what Ireland should prioritise, their expectations related to likely behaviours of public sector employees, politicians, and public institutions, and to evaluate government action on certain key long-term challenges (e.g. climate change).
This was the second round of the Trust survey with the first round taking place in 2021. The 2023 Trust Survey incorporated some changes to the methodology applied in the 2021 survey. Due to these changes, caution is advised when making direct comparisons with the 2021 survey. Where comparisons between the surveys are made in the text, they are for illustrative purposes. More information on the methodology is available in our Background Notes.
Ireland was a participant country in the 2021 and 2023 round of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) ‘Trust Survey’. The Trust Survey monitors people’s self-reported interpersonal trust and trust in different institutions and levels of government across OECD countries. In addition to questions on interpersonal and institutional trust, respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction levels with specific public services. They were also asked about their expectations related to likely behaviours of public sector employees, politicians, and public institutions and to evaluate government action on certain key long-term challenges (e.g. climate change).
Ireland was one of 20 countries that participated in the 2021 round of the survey and is one of 30 countries participating in the 2023 round of the survey. It is expected that the OECD will publish intercountry results from this survey on July 10th 2024. In Ireland, an online survey was carried out between the 20th of September 2023 and the 23rd of October 2023.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (10 July 2024) issued results from the Trust Survey 2023.
Commenting on today’s release, Caragh Stapleton, Statistician in the Social & Demographic Statistics Directorate, said:
“Respondents to the Trust Survey 2023 were asked to rate their trust in people, government, and public institutions on a scale of 0 (Not at all) to 10 (Completely). In this publication, trust levels were grouped as Don’t trust (0-4), Neutral (5), or Trust (6-10) (See Editor’s Note below for more details on methodology).
Overall, when it comes to trust, our analysis shows that the highest levels of trust were in people when compared with other institutions such as political parties, the civil service, or the media. More than eight in ten respondents reported they trusted most people.
Trust in Organisations
Trust in political parties had the lowest levels of trust with one in four respondents reporting they trusted political parties.
While four in ten respondents trusted their local government, close to five in ten respondents reported they trusted their national government (46.6%) and a higher percentage of respondents trusted the Oireachtas (49.1%).
Respondents who voted for a party currently in government had higher levels of trust in local and national levels of government compared with those who voted for a party not currently in government.
The differences in trust scores between men and women were also noteworthy, with more men than women reporting they trusted their national government. Five in ten men and four in ten women reported they trusted their national government.
Respondents were also asked what factors impacted their level of trust in national government and government officials abiding by the same rules as everybody else was the most frequently selected option as having the greatest impact on trust (62.5%).
Approximately seven in ten respondents trusted the Gardaí and the courts and legal system. Separately, around nine in ten respondents believed that a lost wallet or purse containing €100 and their identity details would be returned if it was found by Gardaí.
With regards to the civil service, results show 66% of respondents trusted the civil service.
When it comes to the media, close to half of respondents (47%) reported they trusted the news media. Separately, more than six in ten respondents trusted international organisations such as the United Nations.
Trust in People
Half of respondents reported they would be very comfortable asking a neighbour to keep a set of keys to their home for emergencies.
Nine in ten respondents believed that a lost wallet or purse containing €100 and their identity details would be returned if it was found by a neighbour. Approximately four in ten respondents believed their wallet or purse would be returned if found by a stranger.
Satisfaction in Public Services
Highest levels of satisfaction were seen in the education system with seven in ten respondents reporting they were satisfied.
The health system saw the lowest levels of satisfaction with 26% of people reporting they were satisfied.
Government and Public Sector Behaviours
More than half (54%) of respondents thought it would be likely that a public sector employee would treat all people equally regardless of their income level, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or country of origin. Fewer women (49.2%) than men (59.1%) thought it would be likely that a public sector employee would treat all people equally regardless of their income level, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or country of origin.
When it comes to the behaviours of the national government and politicians, more than half (54.3%) of respondents thought it was likely that the national government would agree to the corporation’s demand if a corporation promoted a policy that benefited its industry but could be harmful to society. Additionally, six in ten respondents thought it was unlikely that a senior politician would refuse a well-paid private sector job in exchange for a political favour.
In terms of social reform, one-third of respondents thought it was likely that the government would adopt the opinions expressed in a public consultation when reforming a major policy area.
Just one in five respondents thought it was likely that an innovative idea to improve a public service would be adopted by a public agency or office.
When it comes to emergency response, six in ten respondents thought it was likely government institutions would be ready to protect people’s lives in a large-scale emergency.
Other Findings
When respondents were asked what important issues face Ireland, the availability, quality, or affordability of housing was the most selected answer (71.3%).
With regards to policy priorities, respondents were asked how important it is that various goals are prioritised in Ireland. More than three in four respondents (77.2%) thought that providing equal opportunities for all in Ireland should be prioritised in Ireland. While just over half of respondents (53.2%) felt managing migration should be prioritised in Ireland.
Looking at the future, approximately one-quarter (26.7%) of respondents were confident that Ireland will succeed in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the next 10 years."