Measuring trust: government initiatives

Governments worldwide are measuring trust and surveying citizens. On this page we are compiling a brief overview. Please report other initiatives to us

Social Science surveys
This article gives an overview of social science and government-related surveys probing for trust or citizens' attitudes toward the public administration in at least 3 European countries with a comparable methodology.

Belevingsmonitor
The Netherlands.

Method
Monthly survey, 800 respondents 16 years and older. Every three months general survey on 15 issue-clusters. Other months in-depth survey on a selection of the clusters. Every cluster is topic of specific research every half year. 4-point scale, resulting in positive or negative answers.

Topics
- trust in government
- evaluation of government information and communication
- public agenda vs. agenda perceived by citizens
- evaluation of government policy on a number of issues
- match between public agenda and government agenda

More information
Dutch government website
no known documents in English

APS Surveys
Belgium. Yearly survey on Social and Cultural Change in Flanders by the Administration for Planning and Statistics of the ministry of the Flemish Community. Used as input for policy preparation and evaluation

Method
Yearly face-to-face survey since 1996. N=1500

More information
Website of the Administration for Planning and Statistics
Contact person: Hendrik Van Geel

Werken aan de Overheid
Belgium. 'Working on Government' is a series of three surveys dealing with citizens' trust in government and their attitude toward the public administration.

Method
One face-to-face survey (2002) and 2 mailsurveys (2002 & 2003). Mailsurvey sent in 15 waves to capture evolutions and events

More information
On this website under 'survey'
Contact person: Steven Van de Walle

Citizens First
Canada. Survey research on government service delivery. The original Citizens First study (undertaken in 1998) proved to be a landmark event and a watershed for the delivery of government services in Canada. Informing governments for the first time on what citizens thought about the services they received, Citizens First helped governments across Canada to shape more effective service improvement strategies and establish common benchmarks. As a result of its success, the Public Sector Service Delivery Council and IPAC recognized the need to carry it forward as a regular biennial survey that will help chart progress and deepen understanding of service delivery in the public sector.

More information
Institute for Citizen-Centred Service

Survey on Government of Canada Communications: Listening to Canadians
Canada. These surveys measure Canadians’ views on public policy priorities, and on how the Government of Canada serves Canadians in response to those priorities. Communication Canada also coordinates public opinion research for the Government of Canada.

More information
Website: Communication Canada

Service Improvement Initiative
Canada. The Service Improvement Initiative is one of the important initiatives the Government of Canada is currently undertaking. Under the Initiative, departments and agencies are required to establish documented baseline measures of client satisfaction for key services to the public using a Common Measurements Tool (CMT). The CMT consists of 10 core questions that must be included by all departments and agencies when assessing client satisfaction levels.

More information
website: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
on the CMT: Institute for Citizen-Centred Service

Finland
The Finnish Ministry of Finance has compiled an overview of Quality, satisfaction and trust indicators in the Finnish Central Government Organisations. The document can be consulted at the website of the EGPA Study Group on Productivity and Quality in the Public Sector, under papers for the Potsdam meeting

People's panel
UK.The People's Panel was made up of 5,000 members of the public. The idea for the Panel was largely prompted by government recognition of the need to listen to, and learn from, people's views in order to be better able to provide the services that people want.

More information
People's Panel at the Service First and Modernising Government wesbite
The Panel ended in 2002, and functions have been taken over by the relevant departments.

Audit Commission: Trust in Public Institutions
UK. Survey 'Trust in public institutions' by the Audit Commission (2003). Purpose is to explore the concepts of trust in public institutions. In addition to considering trust in institutions at a general level, the research specifically focuses on the National Health Service, the Criminal Justice System and Local Government.

Topics
-How do the public define trust?
-Is trust declining or increasing?
-What are the key drivers of trust and distrust - how is trust established and lost?
-What impact does trust have on public engagement with, and use of, services and organisations?
-How does trust vary between public and private institutions? -How do the public perceive and react to high profile scandals in the public and the private sector?
-How can public institutions begin to foster greater levels of trust in themselves abd the services they provide?

Method
The survey was carried out by MORI among a representative quota sample of 1,708 adults aged 15 years +, face-to-face and in-home across 192 sampling points in Great Britain between 06-12 March 2003.

More information
Audit Commission website
Report available for download