Poll: Estonia's defense minister most trusted while economy ministers unknown
Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur remains Estonia's most trusted minister, while several newer cabinet members remain largely unknown, an Emor survey shows.
The latest Emor survey on trust in politicians shows that Estonian residents continue to trust Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (Reform) by far the most among government members, with 28 percent of respondents expressing trust in him.
Pevkur is followed in trustworthiness by Social Affairs Minister Karmen Joller and Culture Minister Heidy Purga (both Reform and both at 19 percent).
"The top three include ministers who have managed to avoid acute conflicts or sharp confrontations," said Aivar Voog, research director at Emor. "At the same time last year, Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi (Reform) was also firmly in the top three, but his trustworthiness among residents has been on a downward trend over the past year," he added. According to the latest survey, 16 percent of Estonia's residents trust the finance minister.
Ligi is followed by Education and Research Minister Kristina Kallas and Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (both Eesti 200 and both at 14 percent), as well as Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) and Interior Minister Igor Taro (Eesti 200), both at 13 percent. Support for ministers who lead the governing coalition parties has also been on a downward trend.
Fewer than one in 10 people trust the remaining ministers: Climate Minister Andres Sutt (Reform) is trusted by 8 percent, Justice and Digital Affairs Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta and Regional and Agriculture Minister Hendrik Johannes Terras (both Eesti 200) by 7 percent and Infrastructure Minister Kuldar Leis and Economy and Industry Minister Erkki Keldo (both Reform) by 6 percent.
Estonia's residents are least familiar with Kuldar Leis, Erkki Keldo and Andres Sutt, with around every second respondent unable to express an opinion about them.
The data is based on a nationwide representative survey conducted by Emor online between May 13 and 21. A total of 1,139 Estonian residents aged 16 and older were surveyed. Respondents were given a list of politicians and asked to assess which of them they trust. The survey is part of a recurring study conducted on Emor's initiative.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Mirjam Mäekivi
