Most Greeks trust charities and nonprofits more than they do the government or political parties, yet do not know much about what they actually do, a survey carried out for DiaNEOsis research center showed on Monday.

The survey was carried out by phone in January 2018 by the University of Macedonia’s Research Institute, with a random sample of 1,064 adults distributed proportionately between urban and rural areas. Assistance was also provided by the Bodossaki Foundation.

A total of 69 pct of those surveyed said they trust charities and 53.2 pct said they trust nonprofits, over the government (15 pct) and political parties (7 pct).

A 46.4 pct said charities are better at actions that fight poverty, compared to the state (14.5 pct), businesses (15.9 pct) or nonprofits (12.1 pct). However, 53.4 pct said they do not know much about what they actually do, and a 55.6 pct said they have some reservations about their actions.

Overall, however, the researchers found that “at times when people’s lack of trust in state institutions is especially high, it is extremely important and encouraging to find out that charities enjoy high percentage of trust by citizens.”

As they pointed out in their report, “Almost 7 in 10 (69 pct) state they trust charities very much or enough. This is a very high percentage, especially if we compare it not just with the government or the political parties that are undergoing a deep crisis in trustworthiness (7 pct in political parties, 15 pct in the government), but even with institutions that traditionally enjoy a high degree of trust by Greek people such as the church (48.5 pct).”

Source: hellasjournal