Trust in the Evangelical Church has sunk to a record low of 27% in 2024, according to a survey by Forsa for “Stern”, RTL, and ntv, which has been conducted for almost two decades.
While 42% of Germans trusted the Evangelical Church in 2005 and a high of 48% in 2017, the value has now dropped to a new low. The Evangelical Church was criticized for its handling of abuse cases.
In contrast, the Catholic Church’s trust level has stabilized at a low point, with a slight increase of one percentage point to 11%. In 2005, 24% of Germans trusted the Catholic Church, and the highest value was reached in 2017 with 29%, which has more than halved over time.
The Pope’s reputation is only slightly higher, at 16%, after having lost the trust he had gained in the past. In 2016, 60% of respondents had expressed trust in him.
The Jewish Central Council has a relatively high reputation, at 36%, but the value has decreased by five percentage points since 2022, possibly due to criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The lowest level of trust is in Islam, with only 6% of respondents having trust in it.
Notably, the differences are significant among the 18-29-year-olds, where the migration background may play a larger role: they trust Islam (16%) more than the Pope (13%) and the Catholic Church (11%).
The survey was conducted by Forsa between December 6 and 13, 2024, with a sample of 4,004 respondents. The exact wording of the question was: “Please indicate how much trust you have in this group or institution: very great trust, great trust, rather little trust, or no trust at all.