Poll shows distrust in Skvernelis grows nearly fourfold in six months

A new poll by Baltijos tyrimai for ELTA shows the number of Lithuanians who say they distrust Saulius Skvernelis, a parliament member accused of corruption, has grown nearly fourfold in six months.

The survey, conducted between June 19–30, asked respondents to name public figures they distrust the most. A total of 70 names were mentioned, down from 90 in December. At the time, 24% of respondents said there were no such figures or declined to answer.

In June, 16% of respondents said they distrusted Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Nemuno aušra party, the highest figure in the poll. In December, 18.5% had said the same. Skvernelis ranked second, with 15% naming him in June compared to just 4.1% in December.

Former Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė ranked third, with 9.8% naming her in June, down from 16.6% in December. Other figures in the top 10 included President Gitanas Nausėda (9.6%), Vytautas Landsbergis (7.7%), conservative leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas (6.8%), former Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė (6.4%), former conservative leader Gabrielius Landsbergis (4.8%), journalist Andrius Tapinas (3.3%), and MP Ignas Vėgėlė (3.2%).

When asked which public figures they trusted the most, respondents named 110 individuals, slightly down from 118 in March. President Nausėda led with 12.4% in June, up from 10.4% in March. Žemaitaitis followed with 9%, up from 6.7%, while Tapinas ranked third with 7.6%, up from 6.9%.

Other trusted figures included Šimonytė (6.1%), former President Dalia Grybauskaitė and MP Valius Ąžuolas (both 5.7%), Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius (5.5%), former President Valdas Adamkus (5.2%), Vėgėlė (4.9%), and Kasčiūnas (3.5%).

The poll also adjusts its list of analyzed politicians and public figures every quarter. This survey showed Skvernelis no longer among the 24 most trusted figures, while Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys was mentioned more frequently than before.