Public trust in system of government at record low, finds BSA survey

Nearly half ( 45%) of the British public ‘almost never’ trust governments of any political party to place the needs of the nation above their own party interests – 22 percentage points above the figure recorded in 2020, during the height of the pandemic.

The annual study, published yesterday ( 12^th June) by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), also found that 58% of the public report that they ‘almost never’ trust ‘politicians of any party in Britain to tell the truth when they are in a tight corner’, up 19 points from 2020.

Both figures represent record high levels recorded by NatCen for the BSA.

In another record high, over half ( 53%) of the public say that the voting system used to elect members of parliament should be changed ‘to allow smaller parties to get a fairer share of MPs’. Two-fifths ( 40%) say we should keep the current system ‘to produce effective government’.

Those who ‘almost never’ trust the government are almost twice as likely ( 62%) as those who trust the government ‘just about always’ or ‘most of the time’ ( 32%) to support a change in the voting system for the House of Commons.

The research also found that confidence in government was lower among people who reported that they are ‘struggling’ on their household income, with 72% ‘almost never’ trusting politicians to tell the truth, compared with 49% of those who report they are living ‘comfortably’.

The BSA report also recorded a significant rise in lack of trust among those who had voted for the UK to leave the European Union in 2016, with nearly half ( 48%) of those who voted ‘Leave’ reporting that they ‘almost never’ trust governments of any party to put the needs of the country above the interests of their party. This was an increase of 23 points from 2020, and compares with 42% among ‘Remain’ voters.

Professor Sir John Curtice, senior research fellow at the National Centre for Social Research, said: “The next government will not simply face the challenge of reviving Britain’s stuttering economy and its struggling public services. It will also need to address the concerns of a public that is as doubtful as it has ever been about the trustworthiness and efficacy of the country’s system of government.

“Addressing some of the policy challenges will help in that endeavour. However, it is likely to require much more than that – in particular, a style and manner of governing that persuades people that the government has their interests at heart after all.”

Ahead of the general election on 4th July, other data from the BSA report suggests that cultural and identity politics are now a significant influence on the way people vote. 

Methodology

The BSA survey consisted of 5,578 interviews with a representative, random sample of adults in Britain and was conducted between 12th September and 31st October 2023. This year’s survey was completed online by a representative sample of respondents who were invited at random by post. There was an option to be interviewed by phone if preferred.