Trust in DNB benefits from greater awareness of the financial supervisor's tasks and responsibilities

Generally high trust in DNB

DNB is responsible for the supervision of banks, insurers and pension funds in the Netherlands. In 2022, the Dutch public had fairly high trust in DNB on average (see Figure 1), although the level of trust fell slightly compared to 2021.

Figure 1 - Trust in De Nederlandsche Bank

Source: DNB Trust Survey 2006-2022.

Notes: The total number of observations is 38,488. The figure shows the responses to the question "How much trust do you have in De Nederlandsche Bank?" with response categories: absolutely no trust (1), not so much trust (2), pretty much trust (3), a lot of trust (4). Response shares are on the left axis; the right axis shows the average response. The 2022 survey was held in March/April.

DNB conducts this research because it has been scientifically established that trust in the supervisory authority is a key contributor to trust in the financial sector as a whole. And trust in the financial sector, in turn, is a prerequisite for a solid economy.

Importance of knowledge about banking supervision

The survey reveals that the public's knowledge about DNB's tasks and responsibilities is positively associated with trust in DNB. People who are very knowledgeable about supervision are 2.8 times more likely to have a great deal of trust in DNB than those who know very little about supervision. Knowledge about DNB's authority to issue and revoke banking licences seems especially important. Only 42% of respondents are aware that DNB has this task. This indicates that there is plenty of scope to boost the level of knowledge about supervision among the general public. A majority of the public wants to be well informed about banking supervision.

DNB tasks and responsibilities

Survey respondents indicate that a wide range of DNB's tasks and responsibilities contribute to building trust in DNB (see Figure 2). DNB's responsibility for the Dutch Deposit Guarantee is the most important factor. Monitoring financial institutions' resilience to cyberattacks and their financial health are also in the top three.

Trust in DNB is also related to personal characteristics. For instance, trust is relatively high among highly educated, high-earning men. It is also positively associated with trust in other people.

Figure 2 - To what extent do DNB's tasks increase trust in DNB?

Source: DNB Trust Survey 2022.

Note: The figure shows responses to "Below are some of the tasks of De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). To what extent does the execution of these tasks enlarge your trust in this supervisor?" Factors are ranked based on the average score, where "very limited"=1, "limited"=2, "neutral"=3, "strong"=4 and "very strong"=5. The average answer is shown in brackets behind each factor. The descriptions of the tasks have been abbreviated for legibility. The number of observations is 2,197. The data was collected in March/April 2022.