People in Wales trust local councils more than UK Government, study finds

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter

People in Wales have more trust in their local councils than the UK Government, according to a major new study of public attitudes towards institutions and public services.

The project – Welsh Election Study 2026 – found that 23% of respondents trusted the UK Government to some or extent or a great deal whereas 38% trusted their local Government and councillors.

“We thought that people would be less interested in local Government than they were,” said Professor Matt Wall, of Swansea University, which carried out the work with Aberystwyth University.

He also said low levels of trust generally in political institutions have been evident since the MPs’ expenses scandal in 2009.

The study found that among those who were satisfied with public services in their area, more than two-thirds said they trusted their local Government, while fewer than 40 per cent of those who were dissatisfied had that same level of trust.

The researchers examined responses from 10,001 people in Wales, and initial analysis has shown that Swansea has the highest satisfaction rate for schools out of Wales’ 22 council areas by a good margin.

Swansea also fared well on other public services like policing. Methyr Tydfil Council also had higher than expected policing satisfaction levels, as did Neath Port Talbot Council for education.

Professor Matt Wall, referring to satisfaction levels in Swansea, said: “I think Swansea generally performed really well across all the metrics.”

Across Wales satisfaction with the availability of secure, well-paying jobs and affordable housing was lowest with just above 20% of respondents saying they were satisfied while over half said they were dissatisfied.

There was better news for schools. A majority of respondents were satisfied with schools across Wales while around a quarter – more so in areas of deprivation – were dissatisfied.

The correlation between level of deprivation and public service satisfaction was even stronger when it came to quality of policing. Meanwhile, satisfaction with public transport showed a clear urban-rural division – higher satisfaction in Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan and Swansea, and significantly lower in Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Powys.

The study also found many people felt the economic situation in their local area had declined, and that local authorities did not care enough about the places where they lived. Perception of care again differed, with Ceredigion leading the ranking on this metric.

On average only a quarter of Welsh voters expected a positive difference from their local authority over the coming months, rising to 38% in Swansea.

Professor Wall told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that younger respondents were more trusting of political institutions than older voters but were less likely to vote or see voting as a duty.

Findings of the four-year study, funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council, were presented at Y Storfa, Oxford Street, Swansea, this week.

Dr Anwen Elias, of Aberystwyth University, added: “There is huge value in a study like the Welsh Election Study 2026 – it gives us new insights into how people think and feel about politics and the places where they live.”

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