Assessment of Social Protection Measures and Institutional Trust in the Context of Social Resilience

Abstract

In recent years, increasing attention has been devoted to the concept of social resilience not only in Lithuania’s strategic policy documents but also in reports published by international organizations and in the academic literature. Social protection, institutional capacity to respond effectively to various crises, and public trust in institutions are among the key dimensions of social resilience. By using recent empirical data, this article aims to assess the accessibility of social protection measures, trust in public institutions, and knowledge of available assistance in times of crisis among individuals without labour income, while examining these aspects within the context of social resilience. The findings reveal that more than half of respondents without labour income (including unemployed persons, pensioners, and persons with disabilities) evaluate the accessibility of social protection measures as average, poor, or very poor. Further analysis indicates that these assessments are primarily associated with bureaucratic and administrative barriers, as well as low levels of trust in public institutions. Moreover, a substantial proportion of vulnerable respondents express limited confidence in the government’s ability to ensure the provision of essential services during crises and report lower levels of trust in institutions operating in the fields of social protection, justice, and other areas.