Trust Survey December 2021

Ireland was a participant country in the 2021 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. Ireland was one of 20 countries that participated in the 2021 round of the survey, which also included Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and United States. It is expected that the OECD will publish inter country results from this survey in June 2022.

In Ireland, an online survey was carried out between Wednesday 24 November and Friday 17 December 2021 and was based on a sample of 5,152 persons aged 18 and over, resulting in an achieved sample size of 1,135 individuals. Note that due to resource constraints, there were limitations on the sample size and selection methodology. This is a Frontier Publication and care must be taken when interpreting the statistics in this release. What is this?

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).

The main results from each of the chapters of the Trust Survey, December 2021 survey are presented below.

Trust

Respondents were asked to rate their interpersonal and institutional trust levels on a 0-10-point scale from ‘0 Not at all’ to ‘10 Completely’. The mean score for each trust level indicator was calculated by adding individual scores and dividing the total by the number of individuals. In line with the OECD’s recommended groupings, responses were also grouped as Don’t trust (0-4), Neutral (5), or Trust (6-10). See Figure 1.1.

• The highest mean scores were for trust in most people and trust in the Gardaí, both at 6.7
• Trust in most people increased with respondents’ age. Almost one in 10 (9%) respondents aged 18-44 Don’t trust (0-4) most people, more than double the rate (4%) for respondents aged 65 and over. More than seven in 10 (71%) respondents aged 18-44 Trust (6-10) most people. For respondents aged 65 and over this rate is 84%
• Nine in 10 (90%) respondents believe that a wallet or purse containing €100 and their identity details, if lost in the respondent’s local area, would be returned if it was found by a Garda. If it was found by a neighbour, 96% of respondents would expect its return and if found by the stranger 36% would expect its return
• Two in three (67%) respondents living in rural areas would be Very comfortable asking a neighbour to keep a set of keys to their home for emergencies, for example if they were locked out. The comparable rate for survey respondents who live in towns is 52%
• The percentage of male respondents who Trust (6-10) the Gardaí is the same as the percentage who Trust (6-10) the courts and legal system (both at 72%). Female respondents were more likely to Trust (6-10) the Gardaí (79%) than Trust (6-10) the courts and legal system (64%)
• Respondents who voted in the last general election for a party currently in government were more likely to Trust (6-10) the Gardaí, and the courts and legal system when compared with respondents who voted for an opposition party
• More than eight in 10 (83%) respondents who voted for a government party Trust (6-10) the Gardaí compared with six in 10 (62%) respondents who voted for an opposition party. More than seven in 10 (73%) respondents who voted for a government party Trust (6-10) the courts and legal system compared with six in 10 (61%) of those who voted for an opposition party
• The lowest mean self-reported trust score was 3.8 for trust in political parties
• The mean scores for trust in national and local government were 5.1 and 4.9 respectively
• When compared with respondents who voted in the last general election for a party currently in government, respondents who voted for an opposition party had lower mean scores for trust in the national government (3.7 compared with 5.9), trust in their local authority (4.0 compared with 5.5) and trust in political parties (2.9 compared with 4.3)
• Older respondents had higher trust levels in the national government, their local authority, and political parties. For example, two in three (66%) respondents aged 65 and over Trust (6-10) the national government compared to more than one in three (35%) of those aged 18-44
• The mean score for trust in the news media was 4.8. Respondents who use social media at least once a week, as one of their sources of information about politics and current affairs, had a lower mean score (4.6) when compared with respondents who do not use social media as an information source (5.0)
• The mean score for trust in the civil service was 6.2. Analysis by self-defined activity status, shows that 22% of working respondents Don’t trust (0-4) the civil service. This is 10 percentage points higher than the rate for retired respondents (12%).

Satisfaction with Public Services

Respondents were asked to rate on an a 0-10 point scale from ‘0 Not at all satisfied’ to ‘10 Completely satisfied’ their satisfaction levels with the quality of the health system, the education system and administrative services[1]. The mean score for each satisfaction level indicator was calculated by adding individual scores and dividing the total by the number of individuals. In line with the OECD’s recommended groupings, responses were also grouped as Not satisfied (0-4), Neutral (5) or Satisfied (6-10).

• The mean scores for satisfaction levels with the quality of the health, education and administrative systems in Ireland were 4.0, 6.3 and 6.0 respectively
• Overall, 56% of respondents were Not satisfied (0-4) with the quality of the health system. One in four (25%) were Not satisfied (0-4) with the quality of the administrative services and one in five (20%) were Not satisfied (0-4) with the quality education system
• Just under one in three (32%) respondents were Satisfied (6-10) with the quality of the health system. The comparable rates for satisfaction with the quality of the administrative services and the education system were 63% and 70% respectively
• Of respondents who voted in the last general election for a party currently in opposition, one in three (33%) were Not satisfied (0-4) with the quality of the education system and seven in 10 (70%) were Not satisfied (0-4) with the quality of the health system. The comparable rates for respondents who voted for a government party were 13% and 49% respectively
• Seven in 10 (71%) respondents aged 18-44 were Not satisfied (0-4) with the quality of the health system, the comparable rate for respondents aged 45-64 was just over half (52%) and for those aged 65 and over, four in 10 (39%)

[1] e.g. applying for an ID or a certificate of birth, death, marriage or divorce.

Expectations in Behaviour

Respondents were asked to rate on a 0–10-point scale from ‘0 Very unlikely’ to ’10 Very likely’ their belief in the likely behaviour of public sector employees, politicians, and public institutions in certain situations. In line with the OECD’s recommended groupings, responses were also grouped as Unlikely (0-4), Neutral (5) or Likely (6-10).

• One in four (26%) respondents believe it is Likely (6-10) that a senior politician would refuse the prospect of a well-paid job in the private sector in exchange for a political favour. Almost six in 10 (59%) believe it is Unlikely (0-4)
• Almost six in 10 (58%) respondents believe it is Likely (6-10) that a court would make a decision that could negatively impact on the government’s image, free from political influence. This is almost double the rate (30%) that believe it is Unlikely (0-4)
• Four in 10 (40%) respondents who voted in the last general election for a party currently in opposition believe it is Unlikely (0-4) that a court would make a decision that could negatively impact on the government’s image, free from political influence. The comparable rate for respondents who voted for a government party is 16 percentage points lower (24%)
• Overall, almost four in 10 (39%) respondents believe it is Unlikely (0-4) that a public sector employee would refuse money to speed up access to a public service, while a similar percentage (43%) believe it is Likely (6-10) that the offer of money would be refused
• Older respondents were more likely to believe that a public sector employee would treat all people equally regardless of their gender, sexual identity, ethnicity, or country of origin. Almost six in 10 (58%) respondents aged 65 and over believe it is Likely (6-10) that a public sector employee would treat all people equally. The comparable rate for respondents aged 18-44 is 16 percentage points lower at 42%
• Overall, three in four (76%) respondents believe it is Likely (6-10) that their application (or a family member’s application) for a government benefit or service (e.g. unemployment benefits) would be treated fairly whereas 12% believe it is Unlikely (0-4)
• One in three (33%) survey respondents believe it is Likely (6-10) and more than half (55%) believe it is Unlikely(0-4) that the public service would be improved if many people complained about the service that is working badly
• The percentage of respondents who believe it is Likely (6-10) that a national policy would be changed if more than half of the people clearly express a view against the policy is almost the same as the percentage who believe it is Unlikely (0-4) (38% and 37% respectively)
• More than five in 10 (55%) respondents with a third level degree believe it is Likely (6-10) they would have opportunity to express their views if a decision affecting their community is to be made by their Local Authority. This is 14 percentage points higher than the rate for respondents who do not have a third level degree (41%)
• Respondents were asked to rate the likelihood that the personal data they share with a public agency is exclusively used for legitimate purposes. Almost two in three (65%) respondents believe it is Likely (6-10) and one in five (21%) believe it is Unlikely (0-4) the data is exclusively used for legitimate purposes
• Six in 10 (60%) respondents believe it is Likely (6-10) that government institutions will be prepared to protect people’s lives if a new serious contagious disease spreads. Three in 10 (29%) believe it is unlikely

Evaluation of Government Action on Long-Term Policies & Global Challenges

Respondents were asked their opinion related to the level of priority that the government should be giving to

• Providing equal opportunities for all
• Reducing job losses due to automation and new technologies
• Reducing the country's contribution to climate change
• Reducing public debt
• Creating the conditions for businesses to thrive

Answer responses were, A lot more, More, About the same, Less and A lot less

• More than six in 10 (61%) respondents believe the government should be giving greater priority to providing equal opportunities for all, with less than two in 10 (19%) responding that the level of priority should be A lot more
• More than two in three (67%) female respondents believe greater priority should be given to providing equal opportunities for all. This is 12 percentage points higher than the rate for male respondents (55%)
• Half (50%) of survey respondents believe greater priority should be given to reducing job losses due to automation and new technologies
• Respondents with Other employment status (e.g. student, unemployed, unable to work because of health problems) were more likely to believe the government should be prioritising the reduction of job losses A lot more when compared with respondents who are retired or working. More than one in five (22%) of these respondents believe the priority level should be A lot more, compared with 13% of respondents who are retired and 12% of those who are working
• Almost seven in 10 (68%) respondents believe greater priority should be given to reducing the country's contribution to climate change, with three in 10 (31%) believing the priority level should be A lot more
• Almost three in four (73%) respondents with a third level degree believe greater priority should be given to the country’s contribution to climate change, with more than one in three (34%) believing that the priority level should be A lot more. Of respondents without a third level degree 57% believe greater priority should be given to the country’s contribution to climate change, with almost one in four (24%) believing that the level should be A lot more
• More than half (53%) of respondents believe greater priority should be given to reducing public debt. The percentage of younger respondents (aged 18-44) who believe the government’s priority level for reducing public debt should be A lot more is almost double the rate for respondents aged 65 and over (26% compared with 14%)
• Almost seven in 10 (69%) respondents believe the government should place greater priority on creating the conditions for businesses to thrive. Overall, 27% believe the priority level should be A lot more

Other survey results

Respondents were asked ‘How confident are you that the Ireland will succeed in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the next 10 years?’. Answer options were Not at all confident, A little confident, Quite confident, Very confident and Completely confident

• Almost four in 10 (39%) respondents answered Not at all confident with a similar percentage (40%) answering A little confident
• Younger respondents were more likely to answer Not at all confident with 41% of respondents aged 18-44 giving this response, eight percentage points higher than the rate for respondents aged 65 and over (33%)

Respondents were asked how much they believe the political system in Ireland allows people (like themselves) to have a say in what the government does. Answer options were Not at all, Very little, Some, A lot and A great deal.

• Overall, 16% of respondents answered Not at all, 38% answered Very little, 38% answered Some, 6% answered A lot and 2% answered A great deal
• Younger respondents were more likely to give a Not at all response with one in four (25%) respondents aged 18-44 answering in this way compared with more than one in 10 (11%) respondents aged 65 and over