The part of the survey released on Friday assesses trust in public officials and institutions in the country and the level of corruption in public institutions
Gambians have more trust in religious leaders than politicians, according to a Pan-African non-partisan research network that conducts public attitude surveys on governance, democracy, economic conditions and related issues in Africa.
The Afrobarrometer survey released on Friday at the Kairaba Beach Hotel ranks religious leaders as the most trusted. The survey said eight in ten Gambians (85%) trust religious leaders while seven in ten Gambian (71%) trust traditional leaders and six in 10 Gambian (67%) trust President Adama Barrow.
Only 52% of the population trust the coalition government while only 38% trust the opposition parties, according to the survey.
The survey’s findings were presented to journalists, government officials and civil society players by Dr Ismaila Ceesay.
According to the survey, the police and business executives are perceived to be most corrupt official in the country.
Whereas the religious leaders and members of the parliament are perceived to be the least corrupt.
“Almost half of Gambia (46%) perceive a decrease in corruption over the past year, but one third (32%) say the level of corruption has increased…,” stated the survey.
“More than half (55) say it is “somewhat likely” or “very likely” that authorities will take action where incidents of corruption are reported…
“Large majority of Gambians say the rich are more likely than the ordinary people to get away with paying a bribe or using personal connections to avoid taxes (71%), avoid going to court (75%) or register land that is not their (74%).”
The research was conducted by Center for Policy, Research and Strategic Studies at the University of the Gambia between July and August of 2018.
The number of people interview for the survey are 1200.