Young people in the European Union report higher levels of trust in others than those in older generations, new data has revealed.
According to the Eurostat data, the average trust rating among people aged 16 and older in the EU stood at 5.8, on a scale from 0 (‘do not trust at all’) to 10 (‘trust completely’).
However, the data shows significant variations on a country-by-country basis, with trust ratings ranging from a high of 7.3 in Finland to a low of 3.6 in Cyprus.
Age cohorts
In 15 EU member states, the highest levels of trust in others were reported by people aged 16 to 29, with Romania recording the highest score of 7.7 among this age group. Other countries in which trust levels were high among 16 to 29 year olds included Croatia (7.2), Poland (7.0) and Finland (6.9). More data is revealed in the table below.
Five countries, meanwhile, reported higher trust levels among citizens aged 65 and older, with Finland seeing a score of 7.5 among this age group. In Denmark (5.7) and Slovenia (4.7), people aged 30 to 64 reported the highest levels of trust compared to other age groups – the only countries in which this was the case.
In other countries, there were no significant differences in trust ratings between age cohorts, Eurostat’s data found.
The data was released to coincide with the United Nations declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust. Read more here.
What EU country has the most trusting young people? (2023)
| Country | Trust score among 16-19 year olds |
|---|---|
| Romania | 7.7 |
| Croatia | 7.2 |
| Poland | 7.0 |
| Finland | 6.9 |
| Belgium | 6.7 |
| Ireland | 6.7 |
| Italy | 6.7 |
| Latvia | 6.7 |
| Slovakia | 6.7 |
| Spain | 6.6 |
| Netherlands | 6.6 |
| Bulgaria | 5.8 |
| Czechia | 5.8 |
| Estonia | 5.7 |
| Luxembourg | 5.6 |
| Austria | 5.6 |
| Portugal | 5.6 |
| Germany | 5.5 |
| Hungary | 5.4 |
| Denmark | 5.3 |
| Malta | 5.3 |
| Greece | 5.2 |
| Sweden | 5.0 |
| Lithuania | 4.6 |
| Slovenia | 4.5 |
| France | 4.2 |
| Cyprus | 3.7 |
