Lithuanians trust police and military most, parliament and government least

A new public opinion poll shows that Lithuanians place the highest trust in the national police and armed forces, while confidence in the parliament (Seimas) and government remains the lowest, state news agency ELTA reported Sunday.

The survey, conducted by Baltijos tyrimai (Baltic Research) for ELTA between April 23 and May 7, asked 1,000 residents aged 18 and older to evaluate their trust in 10 key Lithuanian institutions. The police received the highest confidence rating, with 72% of respondents expressing trust (down from 77% in March) and 24% distrusting the institution. The military followed closely, with 70% trust (down 3% from March) and 25% distrust.

Four institutions were trusted more than distrusted: the state social insurance fund Sodra (66% trust, 26% distrust), the church (65% trust, 26% distrust), municipal governments (61% trust, 33% distrust), and the presidency (48% trust, 46% distrust).

In contrast, four institutions faced more distrust than trust: the media (46% trust, 50% distrust), courts (45% trust, 46% distrust), the government (30% trust, 67% distrust), and the Seimas (25% trust, 72% distrust).

The poll’s margin of error is up to 3.1%. Respondents were selected to reflect Lithuania’s population by gender, age, ethnicity, and settlement type.