Nearly eight out of ten people believe civil servants should be disciplined when they fail to comply with financial instructions, according to a poll.

The Global Research survey, commissioned by The Royal Gazette this month, also found that most voters believe leading civil servants and leading politicians should share responsibility when breaches have led to public money being spent.

The Auditor-General, Heather Jacobs Matthews, has pointed to a “litany of non-compliance with financial instructions and related rules” in the fiscal years 2010, 2011 and 2012, and has repeatedly called for senior civil servants to be penalised when they break financial rules.

On Tuesday, Michael Dunkley, the Premier, announced that a Commission of Inquiry would investigate Ms Matthews’s concerns.

Asked their opinion on Ms Matthews’s stance in early December, 78 per cent of people said they agreed, 13 per cent said they disagreed, with the rest undecided.

Whites were more likely to want civil servants penalised, with 92 per cent agreeing with Ms Matthews, compared with 71 per cent of blacks. Ms Matthews’s remarks were more likely to find favour with the older generation, with 88 per cent of people over 55 agreeing with her, compared with 63 per cent of those between the ages of 18 and 34.

Men (80 per cent) were marginally more likely than women (77 per cent) to agree with Ms Matthews.

A separate question found that 91 per cent of people were concerned that financial instructions had not been followed; including 96 per cent of whites and 88 per cent of blacks.

In total, 72 per cent said they were very concerned; 19 per cent were “somewhat concerned”; 3 per cent “somewhat unconcerned”; 3 per cent not concerned at all; and 3 per cent did not know.

Last month, Derrick Binns, the head of the Civil Service, responded to news reports on the issue by stressing that decision-making was in the hands of ministers, stating: “Every civil servant knows that ‘civil servants advise; ministers decide’.”

Asked which individuals should be held accountable when money was spent without contracts being signed, 70 per cent of voters said the permanent secretary and minister should be jointly accountable; 12 per cent said the permanent secretary alone; 6 per cent said the minister; 2 per cent said neither; and 10 per cent did not know.

The telephone poll of 401 registered voters took place between December 8 and 14, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 per cent.