Trust in institutions (i75)
- 30/11/2023
- objective
- assessment assessment
In 2021, 36.5% of the population aged 15 and over in Belgium trusted the parliament, the legal system, politicians and the political parties. To achieve the sustainable development goal by 2030, this figure must increase. Between 2004 and 2021, the trend is undetermined (assessment of November 2023).
Trust in institutions - Belgium and international comparison
score at least 6 on 0-10 scale
percentage of population aged 15 and over
| 2004 | 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 | 2021 | 2021//2004 | 2021//2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 33.8 | 30.0 | 36.8 | 35.4 | 36.3 | 37.0 | 36.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Germany | 26.2 | 26.8 | 34.1 | 35.5 | 39.6 | 37.2 | -- | -- | -- |
| France | 22.5 | 21.9 | 25.1 | 22.0 | 22.2 | 25.3 | 29.2 | 1.5 | 5.7 |
| Netherlands | 44.3 | 56.3 | 54.7 | 50.5 | 57.2 | 62.0 | 60.2 | 1.8 | 1.1 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | |||||||||
ESS (2023), Dataset European Social Survey, http://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/ (consulted on 18/10/2023); calculations FPB.
Trust in institutions by sex - Belgium
score at least 6 on 0-10 scale
percentage of population aged 15 and over
| 2004 | 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 | 2021 | 2021//2004 | 2021//2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| females | 30.6 | 27.6 | 35.0 | 33.8 | 34.9 | 36.1 | 35.8 | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| males | 37.3 | 32.5 | 38.8 | 37.1 | 37.7 | 37.9 | 37.2 | 0.0 | -0.2 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | |||||||||
ESS (2023), Dataset European Social Survey, http://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/ (consulted on 18/10/2023); calculations FPB.
Trust in institutions by income - Belgium
score at least 6 on 0-10 scale
percentage of population aged 15 and over
| 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 | 2021 | 2021//2010 | 2021//2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| quintile 1 | 23.1 | 28.9 | 30.6 | 28.7 | 31.5 | 21.2 | -0.7 | -5.8 |
| quintile 2 | 22.3 | 31.3 | 32.7 | 32.3 | 30.3 | 35.1 | 4.2 | 1.7 |
| quintile 3 | 30.4 | 36.3 | 31.5 | 34.9 | 32.6 | 38.7 | 2.2 | 2.1 |
| quintile 4 | 34.4 | 41.9 | 33.8 | 38.6 | 40.9 | 37.7 | 0.8 | -0.5 |
| quintile 5 | 37.7 | 45.7 | 42.6 | 42.6 | 48.6 | 39.4 | 0.4 | -1.5 |
| //: Average Growth Rates | ||||||||
ESS (2023), Dataset European Social Survey, http://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/ (consulted on 18/10/2023); calculations FPB.
Definition: trust in institutions is the average share of respondents of the European Social Survey (ESS) that gives a score of at least 6 out of 10 on each of the following four questions: “Could you assess your personal trust in each of the following institutions: the Belgian parliament, the judicial system, the politicians and the political parties”. For each institution, the interviewees can answer on a scale of zero (absolutely no confidence) to ten (complete confidence). This question was covered in nine biannual ESS surveys. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the survey for 2020 was postponed to 2021. The FPB calculates the indicator using the ESS data. Since these data are based on a survey, a margin of uncertainty must be taken into account. The confidence intervals for these data are available on request.
Goal: trust in institutions must increase.
The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs adopted by the UN in 2015 include target 16.6: “Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels”.
International comparison: the indicator in Belgium (36.5% in 2021) is at the same level as in Germany (in 2018, there are no data for 2021) but significantly higher than in France (29.2% in 2021) and considerably lower than in the Netherlands (60.3% in 2021). The subjective nature of this indicator is such that the comparison between countries should be treated with caution.
UN indicator: the selected indicator is related to indicator 16.6.2 - Proportion of population satisfied with their last experience of public services. Satisfaction with services is different from trust in institutions, but both are relevant for the target on which they report.
Sources
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SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals: United Nations (2015), Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015, document A/RES/70/1.
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Indicators: United Nations (2017), Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017, document A/RES/71/313.
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UN Sustainable Development: https://sdgs.un.org/ (consulted on 18/01/2023).
- UN Sustainable Development Goal indicators website: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/ (consulted on 18/01/2023).
Federal Planning Bureau
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