The Forum pointed out that trust in public institutions is the fundamental pillar of effective governance; the ability of governments to implement public policies, carry out structural reforms, and comply with regulations and laws largely depends on the level of citizens' trust in its institutions. High levels of trust enhance the credibility of government decisions and support the effectiveness of implementing policies and plans, while low levels lead to a decline in cooperation between citizens and public institutions and limit the success of reform efforts.
According to the results, the Forum indicated that security and judicial institutions associated with security and the rule of law in Jordan are the most trusted by citizens, with the Armed Forces enjoying the trust of 96% of citizens.
In a related context, the Forum noted that 49% of Jordanians trust the government compared to 39% in the previous wave (2023), a percentage that exceeds the OECD average of 40%. It is worth noting that the level of trust in the Jordanian government equals the level of trust in the government of Finland (49%), and exceeds the levels of trust in Germany (35%), the United Kingdom (33%), Greece (24%), and France (22%). Generally, it is observed that trust levels in governments are generally low across various countries worldwide.
The Forum pointed out in its paper that 59% of citizens view economic conditions and the lack of job opportunities as the main priority in Jordan, while curbing inflation came as the primary main priority in most OECD countries with an average of 51.9%.
The Forum noted that maintaining high levels of trust in national institutions in Jordan requires these institutions to focus on enhancing reliability, responsiveness, openness, fairness, and integrity, which are the five pillars identified by the OECD for building trust between citizens and their countries' institutions.
