Cyprus is experiencing a dramatic decline in trust in institutions, a deep gap between democratic values and their implementation in practice, as well as one of the highest levels of xenophobia in Europe, the latest European Social Survey (ESS) released on Tuesday showed.

With regard to social cohesion, Cyprus recorded one of the ten highest rates of xenophobia in Europe

The University of Cyprus, in collaboration with the Cyprus University of Technology (Tepak) said the twelfth biannual ESS aims at mapping attitudes and behaviours of Europeans for the years 2025 and 2026.

In its last two rounds in 2022 and 2024, the ESS highlighted several issues regarding civil society and the trust in institutions in Cyprus, with a systemic decline of the latter being recorded since 2006.

This was particularly true in regard to politicians and political parties, and despite a recently recorded slight recovery, attributed by UCy researchers to possibly be rooted in the creation of new parties, continues to be apparent.

External institutions, both European and international such as the United Nations, on the other hand, recorded significantly higher levels of trust compared to domestic parties and the Cyprus parliament.

The researchers also warned of “equally worrying” data on democracy.

While Cypriots attributed a high importance to democratic principles, the satisfaction with the functioning of democracy on the island as per the last ESS remained “hopelessly low,” with the researchers warning of a “dangerous gap between values and political reality.”

The ESS is conducted only in the south of the island, and allows for both the comparison with citizens from other countries and changes in behaviour and attitudes over time.

UCY called for Cypriot households who receive a relevant invitation via e-mail to participate, stressing that the survey’s success depended directly on the participation of citizens to facilitate future policymaking.

For Cyprus, the survey includes additional questions concerning the Cyprus problem and intercommunal relations, with the relevant results expected to be presented in a separate announcement.