Defence Forces, RBI & PM of India, Most Trusted Institutions
Perception is everything and it is rarely disconnected from reality these days, as it is formed over the display of tangible, consistent, good work.
A rigorous, pan India survey by Ipsos India to identify India’s Most Trusted Institutions throws up an interesting list of the front runners! Ranked 1st are the Defence Forces with at least 2 in 3 (65%) citizens reposing their faith in them, ranked 2nd was the RBI with 1 in 2 (50%) choosing them; ranked 3rd was the PM of India chosen by 49% of citizens polled; and rank 4th was bagged by the Supreme Court of India (47%), rank 5th occupied by the CBI (43%) and rank 6th by the Police (38%).
Smack in the middle was the Parliament (33%) ranked 7th, ranked 8th was the Media (32%) and placed 9th was the Election Commission of India (31%).
Commenting on the findings, Parijat Chakraborty, Group Service Line Leader, Ipsos Public Affairs & Corporate Reputation, stated, “Trust is about credibility, ethos and respect. It is exemplary and earned and is the foundation on which the institutions are built, resonating those qualities. Defence Forces, RBI, PM of India are pillars with a strong foundation and unwavering in their mission and work, emerging as most trusted by the populace. It is also about integrity and strength of character which the most trusted institutions strive for and stand for. Interestingly, Defence Forces emerged the top choice across demographics, though differences emerged only in terms of the quantum of support.”
Least Trusted Institutions
The institutions at the bottom of the heap were Politicians (16%), Political Parties (17%), Community Leaders (19%) and Religious Leaders (21%). These institutions have least credibility according to the opinions of the citizens across the cities and target groups polled.
“Why are these institutions low on trust? Is it because of promises not kept? Or stated intentions are failing the test of authenticity. Whatever the reasons, these institutions will need to do some bit of introspection of how they can win back the trust of citizens. By walking the talk? Or by enhancing their delivery mechanism,” emphasized Chakraborty.
Trust in Institutions survey was conducted by Ipsos India, via a quantitative survey, using a structured questionnaire, face to face via tablets/ CAPI (Computer Aided Personal Interviewing) and online, and interviewed 2950 adults from SEC A, B and C households, covering adults of both genders in a representative way. Respondents from the 4 metros, tier1, tier 2 and tier 3 towns were spoken to providing a more robust and realistic view of Indians. The margin of error was +/-5% with 95% accuracy levels.
Ipsos IndiaBus is an omnibus study being run on a monthly basis covering a plethora of topics for clients and their brand decisions and on macro topics.
Earlier, Ipsos had conducted a 28-market global survey on trustworthy professions in which armed forces members, scientists, teachers and doctors emerged at the top in trustworthiness. For global citizens doctors emerged the most trustworthy profession.
