Morocco tops North Africa in public trust in courts, study shows

A new study by Afrobarometer, a pan-African public opinion research network, found that 61% of Moroccans said they have complete confidence in the country’s judicial system, a figure that exceeds the North African regional average of 51%.

The report examined public trust in institutions across Africa and highlighted the growing link between government service delivery and political trust, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the study, discussions surrounding democratic governance and state legitimacy increasingly focus on how effectively governments provide essential services to citizens.

Researchers noted that in many African countries, where public services often face significant challenges amid rapid population growth and rising citizen expectations, governments that meet public needs tend to earn greater trust from their populations. As a result, differences in service delivery have emerged as a key factor shaping confidence in political institutions and state representatives.

The study argued that in environments where formal democratic accountability mechanisms remain limited, the quality of public services becomes a primary channel through which institutional trust is either strengthened or weakened. Citizens, it said, often base their confidence in public institutions on whether governments fulfill their service-related commitments.

Afrobarometer also identified notable regional disparities. East African countries generally recorded higher levels of institutional trust and more favorable assessments of public services, while countries in Central and Southern Africa reported comparatively lower levels.

The report highlighted the health and education sectors as among the service areas most closely associated with public trust. However, it stressed that the relationship between service delivery and institutional confidence is not uniform across the continent.

Political contexts, governance structures, and socioeconomic conditions continue to influence how citizens evaluate public institutions, the study said. It also pointed to ethnicity, political affiliation and cultural factors as potential influences on political trust in Africa.

In addition, the report suggested that decentralization can create opportunities for stronger local accountability, allowing citizens to directly assess the performance of public services at the local level, even when political accountability at higher levels remains constrained.