A FIFTH of Europeans despise the Church and most have greater confidence in the police and the media.
A survey by Reader's Digest on people's confidence in institutions found that the Church fared badly in Britain, Spain, Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic. In Britain, 51 per cent of respondents said they had "not very much confidence" in the Church while 71 per cent declared greater faith in the police.
More than 17,000 people in 18 European countries were asked to rate their levels of confidence in 10 institutions. The findings of the European Trusted Brands 2001 Survey, published yesterday, showed that the Church retained the trust of the Poles, the Scandinavians and the Portuguese.
The picture was gloomy in the Czech Republic where three quarters of the population said they had no faith in the Church. In Finland, Spain, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Switzerland and Holland there was greater confidence in the press than the Church.
Surprisingly, confidence in the press increased across Europe over the last 10 years with significant growth in Britain, Holland and Denmark. Seventy-one per cent of Britons said they had little confidence in the press compared with 83 per cent in 1990.
Newspapers are distrusted by 85 per cent of Italians and 69 per cent of Russians, according to the survey. The press was held in highest regard in Finland where seven out of 10 gave it their vote of confidence.
Marriage emerged as the most trusted institution in 17 of the 18 European countries. Russia was the exception. Only 44 per cent of Europeans said they had confidence in the Church as an institution, while 46 per cent said the same of the press and 59 per cent of radio and television.
The lowest rating went to advertising - trusted by only 16 per cent of Europeans.