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From April 22 to May 5, the public opinion and market research company Baltijos tyrimai commissioned a survey commissioned by the ELTA news agency, during which respondents were asked to name which Lithuanian public figures they trust the most (the names were mentioned by respondents). themselves).
President Gitanas Nausėda continues to maintain the first trust rating. However, its confidence index fell slightly during the second quarantine: a fifth (19.8%) of those surveyed expressed confidence in the country’s leader in April, compared with 23.8% in November last year. surveyed.
In second place in this ranking is Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, who was named among the most trusted public figures at 12.3 percent. surveyed. Comparing these data with the survey carried out in November last year, a slight increase in confidence can be seen, since then I. Šimonyte expressed confidence by 10.5 percent. surveyed.
In third place in the ranking was the current president Valdas Adamkus (8.5%). In November, there were slightly fewer people who trusted V. Adamkus: 5.4 percent.
Former Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis (8.2%) and outgoing President Dalia Grybauskaitė (6.7%) were also in the top five for this confidence rating.
Seimas spokesperson Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen (4.6%), the president of the Lithuanian Christian National-Democratic Union Party (TS-LKD) Gabrielius Landsbergis (3.6%) and the mayor of Kaunas Visvaldas Matijošaitis continued in the ranking of the ten most confident public figures (3.6 percent), Ramūnas Karbauskis (3.5 percent), president of the Lithuanian Union of Peasants and Greens (LVŽS). The tenth most trusted politician on the list is former “peasant” Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga (3.1%).
A total of April 2021. Respondents mentioned 98 public figures (99 in November last year) whom they trusted the most. More than a quarter (27%) of the respondents answered that there are no reliable public figures or did not answer this question.
Most of the country’s population does not trust the Seimas.
In April, on behalf of the ELTA news agency, Baltijos tyrimai conducted a survey on public attitudes towards the country’s institutions. The survey showed that Lithuanians 15 years and older trust the following 3 institutions more: the presidential institution (71% trust, 22% do not trust), the Church (66% trust, 23% do not trust) and municipalities (61 % trust, 32% don’t trust).
Half of the respondents said they trusted the Lithuanian media (50% trusted and 47% did not trust), and four out of ten expressed their trust in the government (41% trusted and 55% did not trust) . Still, the youngest of those surveyed said they trusted the Seimas (26% trust, 70% don’t).
Compared to the survey conducted in November last year, the number of people who do not trust the Seimas increased by 7 percentage points (from 63% to 70%) and the media (from 40% to 47%), and the number People who do not trust the Government increased 4 percentage points during this period (from 51% to 55%).
Compared to the November 2020 survey, there was a 6 percentage point increase in trust in municipalities (from 55% to 61%), and the ratings of the Presidential Institution and the Church did not change during this period.
G. The decline in Nausėda’s confidence index was not only due to the pandemic
Rasa Ališauskienė, director of Baltic Research, notes that during the pandemic, there was an increase in the number of respondents who do not mention the names of public figures who trust them or say they do not know them. The sociologist is convinced that this trend was determined by the fact that during the COVID-19 pandemic the number of more visible leaders in public space decreased.
“During those pandemic years, people actively saw fewer political actors. The dispersion was greater in the past, perhaps more pronounced among those who did not hold official positions. And in practice, during the year of the pandemic, the president, prime ministers, ministers and some heads of the Seimas appeared more. (…) The circle of actively visible and actively communicating people has diminished, ”said R. Ališauskienė.
Although the sociologist notes that the president’s favorable assessment declined during the pandemic, she still said that the change was not very significant during the second quarantine period.
R. Ališauskienė states that over the last year trust in G. Nausėda has probably declined for two reasons. According to the sociologist, there is a tendency for presidential ratings to begin to decline just over a year after the elections. According to R. Ališauskienė, another factor influencing G. Nausėda’s classification is definitely a pandemic.
“The number of favorable evaluations generally decreases gradually during the mandate. The first effect after the elections lasts for a year and a half. It is probably a habit and a pandemic that affects the ranking,” he said.
“Although the president was perhaps more active than the first during the second quarantine, the main focus remains on the government. (…) Because taking care of health is not a direct duty of the President,” said R. Ališauskienė.
The survey was conducted in 2021. days. During the research, 1,100 Lithuanian residents (aged 15 and over) were interviewed through personal interviews, and the survey was conducted at 115 sampling points. The composition of the respondents corresponds to the composition of the Lithuanian population aged 15 and over by sex, age, nationality and type of settlement. The opinion of the people surveyed reflects the opinion of the Lithuanian population aged 15 and over. The error of the research results is up to 3.0 percent.
