Only 32% of Irish people trust religious leaders, according to the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer.
This is the second lowest trust score of leaders ahead of the very wealthy (24%) and behind government leaders (36%), CEOs (38%), journalists (42%) and scientists (79%).
The survey took in over 34,000 responses globally and 1,150 from Ireland between October 19 and November 18, 2019.
Overall 66% of Irish people say they “do not have confidence that our current leaders will be able to successfully address our country’s challenges”.
Irish people did however have a higher level of trust in ‘citizens of my country’, and ‘people in my local community’ at 71% and 77% respectively.
All respondents were age 25-64, college-educated with household income in the top quartile for their age in their country, who keep up to date with news and policy issues in the media at least several times a week.