A new opinion poll on the most and least trusted institutions in Iceland shows that the police force is trusted above all others, and was one of only three institutions to be trusted by more than 50% of respondents.
The poll, conducted by Market and Media Research, shows that only three institutions are trusted by most Icelanders: the police (77.1%), the University of Iceland (61.3%) and the National Broadcasting Service (52.3%). The level of trust in the police force is, however, down from 81.3% in 2011.
The three least trusted institutions in the country are the media (12.7%), the Financial Supervisory Authority (10.2%) and – for the fourth year in a row – the banks are the least trusted institution in Iceland (9.2%). It was also the only institution to be trusted by less than 10% of respondents.
Other interesting data points came into play as well. For example, the ruling coalition is trusted only slightly more than the opposition – at 23% to 22.5% respectively – but parliament as a whole is only trusted by 16.4%. While labour unions ranked as the 6th most trusted institution in the country – at 26.3% – the largest union in the country, the shopkeepers’ and hotel workers’ union (VR), is only trusted by 17%.
Market and Media Research conducts this poll on levels of trust in Icelandic institutions twice a year, usually in May and October, and has done so since December 2008.
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