Trust in Central Government in Uganda: the Importance of institutional outputs

Abstract

What explains trust in government and how can political institutions ensure that they are trusted by citizens? This study explores how perceptions of the economic, political and social performance of government translate into citizen confidence in the institution of central government. Using a qualitative methodological approach involving 12 focus group discussions with ordinary citizens; and in depth interviews with a carefully selected set of key informants, the study explores how perceptions of government outputs among everyday citizens in Uganda affect how much people trust the government. The findings of the study reveal that confidence in government is mainly a result of perceptions of tangible outputs in terms of health care, education and security. At the same time, the study reveals that perceptions of corruption in government have the most trust eroding effect among everyday citizens.