Latvia’s residents are sending an unambiguous message to their government: the country’s bureaucratic machinery is too large, too slow, and not improving fast enough. According to a nationally representative survey conducted by public opinion research centre SKDS in March 2026, and commissioned by the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LTRK), an overwhelming majority of citizens view the current level of red tape in public administration as excessive — and want action.
The survey, carried out between 16 and 20 March 2026 among 1,005 respondents aged 18–75, found that 44.3% of Latvians consider the current volume of bureaucracy in the state administration to be “very high,” while an additional 33.1% describe it as “rather high.” Only 2% of respondents rated it as low or very low. A further 12.7% placed it at a medium level, while 8.1% said they could not assess it.
How Has Bureaucracy Changed? Mostly Stayed the Same — or Got Worse
When asked about the trajectory of administrative burden over the preceding twelve months, the public mood is one of stagnation at best. Around 38.8% of respondents said the level of bureaucracy had not changed, while 34.4% believed it had actually increased. Only 8.9% saw a reduction, and 17.9% found it difficult to say. In other words, those who perceive deterioration outnumber those who see improvement by nearly four to one.
Among those who already assess the current bureaucracy level as “high,” the sense that things are worsening is even more acute: 42% of that group say administrative burden has grown during the past year, compared to only 6% who detect an improvement.
Older respondents were notably more likely to feel that red tape has increased — 46% of those aged 55–63 and 37% of those aged 64–75 said it had grown. By contrast, younger cohorts were more uncertain, with 19% of the 18–24 age group saying it actually decreased — the highest share of any age bracket seeing a reduction, possibly reflecting greater ease with digital public services.
A Near-Consensus: Reducing Red Tape Is Urgent
On the question of whether reducing administrative burdens should be treated as an important issue, Latvia’s public is about as unified as polling data ever gets. Fully 51% of respondents said it is “very important,” and another 34.3% said it is “rather important” — combining to 85%. Only 5.3% said it was not particularly or not at all important, and 9.4% were unsure.
The concern was most acute among older generations: 63% of those aged 64–75 and 60% of those aged 55–63 rated the issue as “very important.” Private-sector workers (56% “very important”) were notably more emphatic than public-sector employees (44%). Geographically, the urgency is spread evenly: Kurzemes reģions showed the highest share of “very important” responses at 56%, with all other regions ranging between 46% and 54%.
Among those who believe bureaucracy has grown over the past year, the urgency level was dramatically higher: 74% of that group called reducing it “very important,” compared to 46% among those who see no change, and just 32% among those who say it has decreased.
“The survey results show that reducing bureaucratic burden is a very pressing issue not only for businesses, but to nearly the same extent also for ordinary citizens. The data obtained serves both as a good baseline — to be measured again in six months to assess whether there has been positive change — and as an excellent compass for the directions where, in citizens’ view, the most work remains to be done,” says Jānis Endziņš, Head of the Bureaucracy Elimination Group (BAG) and LTRK Board Adviser.
Where Should Bureaucracy Be Cut? Citizens Point to Healthcare, Local Government and Construction
In an open-ended question, respondents were asked to name up to three specific state institutions or sectors where bureaucracy should be reduced as a priority. A substantial 42.3% could not identify a specific answer, reflecting the pervasive and diffuse nature of the problem. However, 57.7% of respondents did provide at least one concrete response — and the results paint a clear picture of where frustrations run deepest.
Healthcare topped the list with nearly one in five respondents (18.9%) citing it, reflecting longstanding frustrations with waiting lists, referral chains, and paperwork at health institutions. Local governments were a close second (14.0%), followed by building permits — a sector notorious in Latvia for multi-layered approvals — at 12.3%. The State Revenue Service and taxation came fourth at 12.0%.
Notably, Parliament itself was cited by 10.1% of respondents as a place where bureaucracy should be reduced — an unusually frank signal that citizens see excess and inefficiency reaching the very institution that creates legislation.
Gender, Age and Income: Who Feels It Most?
Men were more likely than women to rate the current bureaucracy level as “very high” (49% vs 40%), while women were somewhat more likely to answer “hard to say” (11% vs 5%). The perception that bureaucracy has grown was strongest among the 45–54 (41%) and 55–63 (46%) age groups, suggesting that those with the most accumulated experience dealing with state institutions feel the weight most acutely.
There was also a notable income gradient in attitudes. Respondents with lower incomes (up to €479/month) were most likely to rate bureaucracy as very high (55%) and to say it had increased (44%). Those with the highest incomes (above €1,261/month) were comparatively more sanguine: 33% called it “very high,” and 23% said it had grown — still a substantial share, but lower than other income groups. This may reflect both greater capacity to hire intermediaries to navigate administrative processes, and less frequent direct contact with frontline public services.
A Benchmark for Reform
The survey was commissioned by LTRK as part of the work of the Bureaucracy Elimination Group (BAG), a body working to reduce administrative burden across Latvia. LTRK has been running the website atmetambirokratiju.lv as a platform for collecting and acting on specific reform proposals from businesses and citizens alike.
LTRK’s Endziņš indicated that the results will serve as a baseline against which progress will be measured in approximately six months — giving policymakers a clear accountability framework. The findings also echo those of business-side surveys, suggesting that when it comes to red tape, the frustrations of entrepreneurs and ordinary residents largely converge.
Latvia’s ongoing public administration reform agenda will now face a clearer test: whether the emphatic public demand for simpler, leaner government can translate into measurable improvements before the next survey lands.
Source: ltrk.lv
