Defense and finance ministers most trusted, prime minister comes in sixth
The latest politician trust survey by Kantar Emor shows that Estonian residents continue to place the most trust in Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur, followed closely by Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi. Prime Minister Kristen Michal ranks only sixth and his trust rating has declined compared to the end of last year.
Pevkur and Ligi are followed by Minister of Social Protection Karmen Joller (Reform) and Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200), who received equal ratings.
"The changes to the government in March brought in one minister with above-average trustworthiness, and that's Karmen Joller," commented Aivar Voog, head of research at Kantar Emor.
Among the new ministers, Joller is followed by Minister of the Interior Igor Taro (Eesti 200), who had previously gained public recognition both as a journalist and for keeping a war diary on Ukraine.
Compared to the end of last year, trust in Prime Minister Kristen Michal has declined (from 21 percent to 17 percent). "As head of government, he is of course also the subject of the most critical attention," Voog added.
According to the June survey, 25 percent of Estonian residents trust Hanno Pevkur. He is followed by Jürgen Ligi (24 percent), Karmen Joller and Kristina Kallas (both at 21 percent) and Minister of Culture Heidy Purga (20 percent).
Fewer than one in five people trust Kristen Michal (17 percent), Igor Taro (15 percent), Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) (14 percent), Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras (Eesti 200) (12 percent), Minister of Energy and Environment Andres Sutt (Reform) (11 percent) and Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta (Eesti 200) (10 percent).
The lowest levels of trust were recorded for Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis (Reform) (7 percent) and Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry Erkki Keldo (Reform) (5 percent). Their trust ratings are most affected by their low public visibility, with recognition rates under 50 percent.
Share of residents who trust members of the government, Kantar Emor, 2025.
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The data is based on a nationally representative online survey conducted by Kantar Emor from June 12 to 18. A total of 1,272 Estonian residents aged 16 and older were surveyed. Respondents were presented with a list of politicians and asked to indicate whom they trust. This is a recurring survey initiated by Kantar Emor.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski
