Public trust in parliament and political parties reaches all time low

• Army, Courts enjoy status of most trusted institutions
• Growing preference for authoritarianism among Sri Lankans 
• 1 in 10 Sri Lankans prefer authoritarian rule
• Survey reveals dictatorship preferable in some situations

By Sheain Fernandopulle   

A recent survey conducted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has unearthed that public trust in parliament and political parties has reached an all time low, with parliament showing 22 percent public trust and political parties showing 19 percent trust.  
The survey, titled ‘Survey on Democracy and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka,’ involved 1,350 participants across 25 districts in January, shedding light on declining trust in democratic institutions and shifting attitudes toward authoritarianism.  
According to the findings, Army and Courts enjoy the status of the most trusted institution in the country while the police enjoy relatively less public trust compared to the Army and Courts.   However, public trust in legislative institutions and the entities that participate in producing legislation — political parties — is not only less compared to the Army and Courts, but also have experienced a slump over the past decade. In 2011, 63% of Sri Lankans trusted the parliament to perform its role, but it has fallen to 22% in 2024.    
Among the institutions tested in this survey series, people extended the least level of trust toward political parties. The public trust in political parties has fallen from 56% in 2011 to 19% in 2024.   
Meanwhile, approximately 1 in 10 Sri Lankans expressed a preference for authoritarian rule, marking a significant increase in the trend since 2018. Despite the majority favoring democratic governance, the survey highlighted a worrying sentiment that “In certain situations, a dictatorial government can be preferable to a democratic one.”  
The CPA, a prominent policy think-tank based in Colombo, emphasized that the spike in support for authoritarianism coincided with the political upheaval during the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government in 2018.