Nonprofits are again the most trusted institutions in Norway

A new survey shows that 90% of Norwegians trust nonprofit organisations, the highest rate for any institution in the country.

This is according to the Tillitsbarometeret (Trust Barometer) 2025, published in August at Arendalsuka, an annual cross-party political event in the country.

Research firm Respons Analyse interviewed 1,000 Norwegian adults on the phone during June and July, and 90% agreed that their level of trust in Norwegian nonprofits was six out of 10 or higher.

This is significantly greater than the next highest institutions – Norwegian trade unions (arbeidstakerorganisasjonene) on 73%, and the country’s parliament (the Stortinget) on 72%. The least trusted of the 12 institutions listed was social media companies, at 10%.

Siri Nodland, secretary general of Fundraising Norge, says that the survey is “a vote of confidence” in the ethics, sustainability and transparency of the nonprofit sector. She comments:

“The trust barometer shows that the population has strong confidence in the nonprofit sector as an important social actor – especially because the organisations often step in where the public sector is not sufficient. In a time of increasing complexity and unrest, people value the community-oriented and responsible work that nonprofit organizations perform on behalf of society.”

Men less trusting, young people more

The survey shows that men (89%) are slightly less trusting of Norway’s nonprofits than women (91%). However, men are in general less trusting of Norwegian institutions – political parties are the only group enjoying higher trust among men (50%) than women (45%).

It also suggests that young Norwegians (aged 18-29) are more trusting than the rest of the population in many institutions. While nine in 10 in this age group trust nonprofits, there is a slightly higher level of trust in the country’s military (92%) – a figure that could be explained by the competitive selection process for national service, for which both men and women can volunteer. The figures for social media are 17% among young men, and 14% among young women.

The survey also shows that trust in the country’s institutions is relatively stable – the only organisation in the survey suffering a decline in trust of more than one percentage point between 2023 and 2025 is the country’s local municipal councils. Their score dropped from 60% in 2023 to 57% in the current survey.

The nonprofit sector’s score has risen slightly from 87% in 2023 and 89% in 2025. The only other sector in whom trust has increased over the last two years is the country’s Government, with a score of 65% (up from 59% in 2023).