The study, conducted for the newspaper La Estrella de Panamá, indicates that the majority of citizens distrust the country’s main entities and question whether the essential principles of the democratic system are being upheld.

Religious organizations have the highest levels of credibility: the Catholic Church reaches 14,2% and the Evangelical Church 8,6%.

Among state institutions, the Panama Canal Authority is the highest rated at 6,8%, according to the report.

However, most other entities, including universities, firefighters, media outlets, the Electoral Tribunal, and the National Police, do not exceed 10% trust.

Even more revealing is that 30,3% of citizens say they do not trust any institution or did not answer the question, reflecting a deep distance between the population and the institutional apparatus, associated with a perception of a lack of transparency, scant accountability, and little attention to social needs.

Democracy, as a system, the study adds, also does not escape the critical gaze of Panamanians. Only 38% of the sample believes that Panama lives under this model, while 44% believe otherwise, and 17% say they are not sure.

The most recent results indicate that 51,7% of Panamanians consider their economic situation to be bad, while 12,2% describe it as very bad.

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