Trust in Bosnia & Herzegovina's institutions has continued to deteriorate as concerns over corruption, the economy and political instability weigh on public sentiment, while support for European Union membership remains resilient, according to a public opinion survey released on July 30.

The survey, commissioned by the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections "Pod lupom", found that citizens increasingly view corruption and weak governance as the country's most pressing challenges, with nearly half having considered leaving Bosnia due to bleak economic and political prospects.

Crime and corruption were identified as the country's biggest problem by 30.2% of respondents, followed by the poor state of the economy (16.8%) and the political situation (14.9%). When asked about the issues that most affect their daily lives, respondents ranked the healthcare system first at 26.2%, ahead of income (22.5%) and security (19.8%), a shift from two years ago when improving the economy was the leading priority.

The findings pointed to "deep-rooted structural problems" that are reinforcing one another and creating "an increasingly pronounced feeling of insecurity and mistrust among citizens".

Confidence in public institutions has weakened further, with almost one-third of respondents, or 29.7%, saying they trust no one in society. The survey also found a sharp decline in trust in family, traditionally regarded as the most reliable source of support, falling from 24.7% in 2024 to 8.5% this year.

Public dissatisfaction was also reflected in views of government performance. The survey found that 25.4% of respondents believe the government "does nothing", while 20.9% said it "works only for its own interests".

Respondents gave institutions at state, entity, cantonal and local levels an average score of just above two on a five-point scale, with mayors receiving the highest rating at 2.45. However, even local government has seen confidence decline, down from 3.10 in the previous survey conducted two years ago.

The loss of confidence has been accompanied by growing pessimism about living conditions. Some 63.5% of respondents said their lives are worse today than they were five years ago, reversing the trend recorded in the previous survey, when a majority believed conditions had improved.

The findings also highlighted the risk of continued emigration. Overall, 40.6% of respondents said they had seriously considered leaving Bosnia, rising to 62.1% among younger people compared with just 7.2% of older respondents.

Despite widespread dissatisfaction with domestic governance, support for Euro-Atlantic integration remained comparatively strong. Nearly seven in ten respondents, or 68.8%, backed Bosnia joining the EU, while 57.1% supported NATO membership.

Support for integration varied sharply between Bosnia's two entities. In the Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina, 77.7% supported EU membership and 83% backed joining NATO, compared with 52.8% and 17%, respectively, in Republika Srpska.

The survey concluded that perceptions of corruption, declining trust in institutions and growing pessimism about the future are closely linked, while support for European integration remains "one of the rare stable and positive trends" that could provide a basis for future reforms.

The telephone survey of 1,000 adults was conducted by polling agency Metrics between May 14 and May 25 using the CATI methodology. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.