Public Trust in Institutions: Judiciary, Police and Media Under Scrutiny

Montenegrins continue to express deep scepticism toward the country’s public institutions, with trust in the judiciary, police and media hovering at alarmingly low levels. The June 2025 polling reveals a striking lack of confidence across all three institutions, suggesting that structural reforms and transparency efforts have yet to sway public opinion.

The Judiciary: Widespread Distrust, Especially Among the Young

When asked how much trust they have in the judiciary, just 4% of Montenegrins said “a lot”, with a further 27% saying “some”. In total, only 31% of the public offered even a moderate level of trust. Meanwhile, a full 61% said they trust the judiciary “little” or “not at all”, indicating a widespread perception of judicial dysfunction or bias.

Distrust was highest among women (33% said they had no trust at all) and younger people, particularly the 18–24 age group, where no respondents expressed “a lot” of trust. By contrast, 10% of 25–34-year-olds said they had high trust but that quickly dropped again with age. Among political groups, voters for the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) stood out: while 34% said they had “a lot” or “some” trust in the judiciary, 36% said they had “none at all”, a contradictory result that reflects the highly polarised perceptions of the legal system.

Supporters of smaller parties and independents were particularly disillusioned. None of the respondents who backed Albanians Together, the Social Democrats or other minority parties said they had a lot of trust in the judiciary. The message is clear: institutional credibility is fractured along political lines and younger voters, especially, view the justice system with suspicion.

The Police: More Trusted than Courts but Still a Divided Picture

Public confidence in the police is somewhat stronger than in the judiciary but still far from reassuring. Just under a third (29%) of respondents said they had “a lot” of trust in the police, with 40% saying they had “some” or “little” trust. However, 24% said they had no trust in the police at all, a figure that rose to 40% among DPS voters and 43% among ZBCG voters.

Young people, again, were the least trusting: only 22% of 18–24s expressed high trust, and over half (53%) said they had “little” trust. Supporters of the Europe Now Movement (PES) and Civic Movement URA were more favourable toward the police, with 48% and 65%, respectively, saying they had a lot of trust. Meanwhile, the gender divide was modest but noticeable, men were slightly more likely to say they had “a lot” of trust in the police (27% compared to 32% of women), while distrust levels were roughly equal.

The Media: Distrusted Across the Board

Trust in the media is even lower than in the judiciary or police. Just 4% of respondents said they had “a lot” of trust in the press, with 33% saying they had “some”. By contrast, 57% said they trusted the media “little” or “not at all”, making it one of the least trusted institutions in Montenegro.

There are significant differences by party affiliation. While 39% of Civic Movement URA and 29% of ZBCG voters expressed a high level of trust in the media, other groups were far more sceptical. Among supporters of Europe Now, only 3% had “a lot” of trust, while 22% had “none at all”. The same held true for younger voters, where trust was virtually non-existent: only 2% of 18–24s said they trusted the media highly and 44% said they trusted it “little”.

Interestingly, the media is slightly more trusted by women than men (31% vs. 27% expressing no trust at all) but the difference is marginal. The results show that perceptions of media bias, misinformation and political interference are widespread, especially among the young and those outside traditional party structures.

The polling results paint a bleak picture of institutional trust in Montenegro: confidence in the judiciary, police and media is either fragile or fundamentally broken. While the police enjoy a modest degree of public approval, trust in the courts and the media remains low, with young people, women and minority voters particularly sceptical. Across all three institutions, party affiliation strongly shapes perceptions, sometimes in contradictory ways, highlighting how deeply political polarisation colours public opinion.

The data suggests that reforms have yet to meaningfully shift public sentiment. Distrust is most acute among the younger generation, whose disengagement could have lasting consequences for democratic accountability and rule of law. If Montenegro’s institutions are to regain credibility, restoring public trust, especially among the country’s disillusioned youth, must become a national priority.

Download the data tables for this poll.