Although mistrust prevails, Britons have more confidence in the European Union than in their own government or parliament, shows a poll published by King’s College, just over three years after Brexit.
This is the first time in 30 years that the EU surpasses UK institutions in terms of public trust.
Last year, just a quarter of British people said they trusted their government (24%) or their Parliament (23%), according to the World Values Survey.
In the 2000s just 22% of Britons had a lot or some confidence in the EU, this has risen to 32% in 2018 and now peaks at 39%.
Conservative MP and former Brexit Secretary David Davis attributes the shift to consecutive government crises (led by his own Conservative Party) and the COVID-19 pandemic to have shattered public trust. Davis added that UK right-wing media like the Sun, Daily Telegraph, Times and Daily Mail have stopped "kicking Brussels all the time" compared to 2016, The Guardian reports.
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Barely a quarter of Britons (24%) say they are happy with Brexit, while almost half (49%) are disappointed. In Scotland, which voted to remain in the EU and is ruled by a devolved government, this dissatisfaction reaches 59%, while trust in the EU is 50%.
Another target of British distrust are politicians and the media, which only get a 13% trust rating. Trust in the police has also fallen from 87% in 1981 to 67%.
