Recent results of the survey of the reliability of institutions, conducted by Turu-uuringute AS, show that confidence in the Environmental Board has increased among the people of Estonia compared to the same period last year.
According to the survey, on average 70% of the respondents consider the Environmental Board to be reliable, including 19% of the respondents consider the Environmental Board to be very reliable. Confidence is higher than the average level of the observed institutions (66%), which places the Environmental Board in 13th place among 26 institutions.
The share of those who consider the Environmental Board to be reliable has increased by 4.2% compared to the same period last year. “We have formulated reliability in our new strategy as one of the core values of the organization and we consider it very important in our work. We are guided by the goal that our positions would be transparent and certain, we would base our decisions on the facts, and we would be honest, professional and independent,” said Olav Avarsalu, Deputy Director General of the Environmental Board, acting as Director General.
Avarsalu added that this is definitely recognition for the entire team of the Environmental Board, which has helped to explain complex and often contradictory environmental issues and the reasons for the decisions of the Board to the public and customers.
Confidence in the Environmental Board is higher than average among younger and middle-aged Estonians with higher education who work as managers, middle-level specialists or who are ordinary employees and whose household income per capita is more than 650 euros as well as among pupils and students. Residents of Tallinn and smaller towns and of Central Estonia trust the Environmental Board more.
At the same time, the results of the survey show that 17% of the population of Estonia consider the Environmental Board to be unreliable, incl. 5% of the respondents do not trust the Environmental Board at all. Confidence in the Environmental Board is lower than average among respondents older than 45 years, pensioners, rural residents, respondents in West, South and North-East Estonia. “This shows that we need to pay more attention to these target groups when explaining and substantiating our activities,” said Olav Avarsalu.
Turu-uuringute AS conducted the survey of the fourth quarter at the beginning of November 2021 (the period of the survey was from 3 to 9 November). 1,000 residents of Estonia aged at least 15 and older responded to it. The sample was compiled on the basis of the population statistics database of Statistics Estonia by sex, nationality and age, region and type of settlement.
The Environmental Board has participated in the reliability survey of the institutions in the fourth quarter of the last three years. In 2019, 63% trusted the Environmental Board and in 2020, 65% trusted it, while respectively 13% and 14% of the respondents previously considered it to be very reliable.
