In June, 36 percent of respondents said they trusted the Riigikogu (either fully or somewhat), compared with 29 percent in September.

Trust in the government fell from 37 percent in June to 30 percent in September.

Trust in the president dropped slightly, from 67 percent in June to 65 percent in September. The decline was sharper among those who said they fully trusted the presidential institution — 30 percent in June versus 21 percent in September.

The survey also showed that ethnic Estonian respondents tend to have greater trust in political institutions than respondents of other nationalities.

The largest difference was in attitudes toward the presidency, which is trusted by 76 percent of Estonians but only 44 percent of respondents of other nationalities.

Trust in the Riigikogu stood at 33 percent among Estonians and 22 percent among respondents of other nationalities.

Among Estonians, 33 percent expressed trust in the government, compared with 22 percent among respondents of other nationalities.

Historian: Alienation between people and politics growing

Historian David Vseviov told ERR's Russian-language portal that the decline in trust toward public institutions does not simply reflect dissatisfaction with government policy but signals a far more troubling trend — people's growing alienation from politics altogether.

According to Vseviov, most people perceive politicians and parties on an emotional level, without delving into their programs or actual actions. As a result, both the government and the opposition lose support and politics itself becomes increasingly distant.

He also commented on why trust in the president remains higher than in the government or the Riigikogu: "The president speaks directly to the people, but little actually depends on him. For example, he doesn't raise taxes or make executive decisions — that's why people view him more positively."

Attitudes toward local governments, armed forces, police, e-voting

Fifty-four percent of respondents said they were satisfied with how their local government is run, while 35 percent were dissatisfied.

In Tallinn, 57 percent said they were satisfied with the work of the local government and 27 percent said they were not.

Satisfaction was highest in Northern Estonia, at 60 percent, and lowest in Northeastern Estonia, at 39 percent.

The survey also found that 73 percent of respondents trust the Defense Forces and 81 percent trust the police.

Views on the police did not differ much by ethnicity: 84 percent of Estonian respondents expressed trust, compared with 76 percent among respondents of other nationalities.

However, opinions about the Defense Forces differed more sharply along ethnic lines. Eighty-five percent of Estonians said they trusted the military, compared with only 49 percent of respondents of other nationalities.

Trust in e-voting (those who fully or somewhat trust it) stood at 54 percent, while 42 percent said they do not trust it (those who somewhat or completely distrust it).

The survey, commissioned by the Government Office, was conducted by Turu-uuringute AS from September 17 to 21. A total of 1,265 people aged 15 and older responded. The poll used a combination of online and telephone interviews and full results are available here.

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