MANILA, Philippines – The Church is the most trusted institution while the government remains the least trusted institution in the country, a recent survey by a Makati-based public relations firm revealed yesterday.
The first Philippine Trust Index, conducted by PR firm Eon, found 51 percent of respondents saying they trusted the Church, followed by the media (22 percent), non-government organizations (12 percent), business (10 percent) and government (seven percent).
The study, taken from May to June this year, used face-to-face interviews of 500 respondents aged 25 to 65 years old from the National Capital Region and the cities of Cebu and Davao.
Although trust levels for the government tended to be on the low side compared to other stakeholder groups, the Office of the President had trust ratings that were far better than other government agencies, Eon said.
It said 54 percent of respondents expressed trust in the Office of the President, 12 points higher than local government units (44 percent) and the Supreme Court (41 percent).
Trust in the Senate and the regional trial courts was at 37 percent, slightly higher than the Cabinet, which garnered a trust rating of 35 percent. At the bottom of the list was the House of Representatives, which obtained a trust rating of 32 percent.
Across the different stakeholder groups, integrity, efficiency, results, and concern for the environment recurred as important considerations when evaluating trustworthiness, Eon said.
Transparency and honesty was ranked as the most important attribute by 75 percent of respondents, while the ability to deliver quality results and adaptability both came in as the second most important attribute, mentioned by 73 percent of respondents.
Among the most insignificant traits, at least as far as trust-building is concerned, are having many connections (58 percent), having been in existence for a long time (48 percent), and popularity (40 percent).
For the Church to keep its trust levels, 39 percent of respondents said it had to maintain its separation from the state, the Eon study said.
Respondents defined “separation from the state” to mean not meddling with affairs of the state, 14 percent; leaving politics to politicians, 13 percent; and leaving the Reproductive Health bill alone, 10 percent.
Another 25 percent said the Church had to focus on “propagation of the faith.”
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By: Helen Flores
Source: The Philippine Star, Sept. 17, 2011
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