Africa: Across Africa, Public Trust in Key Institutions and Leaders Is Weakening

Fewer than half of citizens say they trust their president, Parliament, courts of law, and police.

Key findings

• On average across 39 countries, majorities of Africans express trust (“somewhat” or “a lot”) in only three of the 11 institutions and types of leaders that the survey asked about: religious leaders (66%), the army (61%), and traditional leaders (56%). o Fewer than half say they trust their president (46%), the police (46%), courts of law (47%), Parliament (37%), and other state institutions.
• Since 2011, public trust in all 11 institutions has declined, including double-digit drops for Parliament (-19 percentage points), the ruling party (-16 points), the president (-12 points), and courts of law (-10 point).
• On average across the 11 institutions, East Africa and West Africa record the highest trust scores, followed by Southern, North, and Central Africa.
• Tanzania (78%), Niger (67%), and Burkina Faso (61%) record the highest average trust scores with regard to these 11 institutions, while Gabon (26%), Eswatini (27%), São Tomé and Príncipe (30%), and Niger (30%) register the lowest.
• Although the general trend in popular trust is downward, Tanzania, Togo, and Mali are among countries that have increased their levels of trust in some key institutions.

Trust in institutions is a fundamental requirement for the proper functioning of society, particularly in a democracy. Trust in public institutions manifests itself when citizens assess them as promise-keeping, accountable, efficient, competent, fair, and honest (Kaasa & Andriani, 2021). When individuals have trust in a public institution, they expect their interaction with authorities to have a positive outcome rather than being detrimental to them (Beesley & Hawkins, 2022).

Societies live harmoniously only when public institutions play their role in generating the trust necessary for collective life (Roché, 2016, p.12). As Newton and Norris (2000, p. 56) have noted, “institutional trust acts as the cornerstone of social cohesion, ensuring that citizens cooperate and adhere to societal norms.” Trust in institutions underpins the stability and legitimacy of democratic governance, as emphasised by Easton (1975, p. 439), who argues that “without political trust, a system risks delegitimisation, and this can lead to social instability.”

When citizens trust institutions, they are more likely to show solidarity with other community members, respect laws and regulations, support government policies and programmes, and develop optimism about the future, a crucial determinant of economic growth (Cloutier, Zovighian, & Bove, 2023). By limiting uncertainty and transaction costs, trust in institutions also encourages investment and other economic activity (Putnam, 1993; Kaasa & Andriani, 2021).

Conversely, a lack of trust in public institutions can lead to a range of social and political problems. A decline in institutional trust is linked with “a rise in societal fragmentation, where citizens become more prone to endorse populist and anti-establishment movements” (Hetherington, 2005, p. 101). In many countries, especially developing countries, low levels of public trust in government institutions are associated with acceptance of illegal behaviour such as tax fraud as well as increased polarisation and decreased support for the provision of public goods, all of which can pose obstacles for development (Beesley & Hawkins, 2022). Moreover, low trust limits the state’s capacity to function efficiently, leading to a “vicious cycle of ineffective governance and growing distrust” (Rothstein & Stolle, 2008, p. 445). Such cycles are particularly harmful in fragile democracies, where institutional trust is already weak and the legitimacy of public institutions is often questioned (Norris, 2011).