The Jordan Strategy Forum has issued a policy brief examining levels of public trust in institutions in Jordan compared with countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
اضافة اعلان
According to the findings, security and judicial institutions associated with national security and the rule of law enjoy the highest levels of public trust in Jordan. The Armed Forces are trusted by 96% of citizens, while 68% express trust in the courts. Both figures exceed the OECD averages of 66% for the armed forces and 54% for courts.
The forum also found that 49% of Jordanians trust the government, up from 39% in the previous 2023 survey. The figure is above the OECD average of 40%, matching the level recorded for Finland and exceeding trust levels in Germany at 35%, the United Kingdom at 33%, Greece at 24% and France at 22%.
The forum noted that trust in governments is generally low across countries worldwide.
By contrast, trust in Jordan’s Parliament stood at 27%, the lowest level among Jordanian state institutions. The figure is broadly comparable to trust levels in OECD countries, where parliaments also rank as the least-trusted institutions, although the average level of trust in OECD parliaments is higher at 37%.
The forum said 59% of Jordanians consider economic conditions and the lack of job opportunities the country’s top priority, while curbing inflation ranked as the leading priority across OECD countries, with an average of 51.9%.
Maintaining high levels of public trust in Jordan’s national institutions requires a focus on reliability, responsiveness, openness, fairness and integrity, the five pillars identified by the OECD as essential to building trust between citizens and public institutions, the forum said.
The policy brief draws on findings from the ninth Arab Barometer survey on Jordan in 2026, comparing them with the OECD’s 2026 Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions. The forum noted that the two surveys have similar questions and methodologies for calculating trust levels.
The forum emphasized that trust in public institutions is a fundamental pillar of effective governance. Governments’ ability to implement public policies, undertake structural reforms and ensure compliance with laws and regulations depends largely on citizens’ level of trust in their institutions.
Higher levels of trust strengthen the credibility of government decisions and support the effective implementation of policies and plans, while declining trust can weaken cooperation between citizens and public institutions and undermine the success of reform efforts.
