The issue of whether public sector workers’ earnings should be disclosed has been in the news lately. People’s opinions on the general subject of pay disclosure were surveyed last April. One area of interest then was the attitude to who exactly should be under an obligation to make such a disclosure.

The majority of those surveyed were sceptical on principle about making known the earnings of private individuals. At the same time, though, it became apparent that there were some categories of employees in relation to whom people did think that disclosure would be desirable. A decided majority of those asked were of the opinion that information about the salaries of people holding high-level positions in state-owned enterprises (85%) or the civil service (83%) should be in the public realm. Two thirds of respondents (66%) were also in favour of revealing the pay of all employees of state-owned enterprises, and slightly fewer (57%) of all civil servants. Acceptance of disclosing the pay of private sector workers was substantially lower: only one in five people (21%) could agree to this. It would be fair to say, therefore, that the majority of people are inclined to accept disclosure of earnings as one element of monitoring how public money is spent.

More on this subject in the CBOS report.