Ireland last when it comes to trust in Coalition

THE IRISH public’s trust in the Government is the lowest of 23 countries who participated in a survey.

Only 20 per cent of Irish people trust the Government, a drop of 8 per cent on 2009.

The international average is 52 per cent.

Ireland was ranked in last place of 23 countries surveyed in the 2011 Edelman Trust Barometer index, which is an average of a country’s trust in the four institutions of government, media, business and NGOs. Ireland finished in last place behind Russia and the UK.

The public relations company Edelman carries out the annual survey, which involves all the major EU countries and the US, Russia, China and Brazil. In total 200 Irish people were surveyed. The survey is not representative of the whole population, but of those with a college education and higher incomes who are well-informed.

The Irish public’s trust in the media at 38 per cent is lower than the European average, but improved by 4 per cent on the score in 2009.

Public trust in Irish banks is at a rock-bottom 6 per cent, down from 26 per cent in 2009.

Trust in Irish business is on the rise, increasing by 15 per cent to 46 per cent last year. The technology sector is the most trusted industry in Ireland with a 75 per cent score. The Irish Timeswas the second most important source of information about companies after Google, with 35 per cent of people using the newspaper to get information.

Edelman Ireland managing director Mark Cahalane said a recovery in trust in government would require more transparency and an acceptance by those in positions of authority of full responsibility for the current crisis.