OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions - 2024 Results

OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions – 2024

Results

Building Trust in a Complex Policy Environment

10 July 2024

Low or no trust in national government outweighs high or moderately high trust

39% report high to moderately high trust and 44% low or no trust

Share of population who indicate different levels of trust in their national government (on a 0-10 scale), 2023

Trust in national government has declined overall since 2021, but not everywhere

Across 18 countries, the share with high or moderately high trust fell from 43% to 41%

Share of population who indicate different levels of trust in their national government (on a 0-10 scale), 2021 and 2023

Perceptions of having a say in government actions affect trust greatly

Share of population with high or moderately high trust in the national government by population group, OECD, 2023

Women and lower educated people have the largest decrease in trust in national government compared to 2021

Share of population with high or moderately high trust in the national government by population group, 2021 and 2023

Change in the education, gender and age trust gaps between 2021 and 2023

+ 3 p.p.

+ 6 p.p.

-6 p.p.

Relative satisfaction of citizens in their day-to-day interactions with public institutions currently helps maintain trust levels

Governments still seen as relatively reliable in delivering public services

A majority is satisfied with public services and government handling of data

Share of users with different satisfaction levels with public services and use of personal data, 2023

Healthcare Education Admin. services

Use of personal data

But progress needs to be made to respond to public feedback on dayto-day interactions and improve perceptions of integrity

41% believe they would be able to voice their opinions on a decision affecting their community and 36% that a government employee would refuse a bribe to speed up service access

Share who find it likely or unlikely that they would be able to voice their opinion on a local decision, 2023

Share who find it likely or unlikely that a public employee would refuse a bribe, 2023

Concerns about how governments tackle complex policy issues are driving

trust levels down

A majority trusts government’s preparedness for emergencies, but fewer that it can handle other complex policy issues

53% say their government would be prepared for a national emergency, but only 37% that it would balance intergenerational interests

Share of population reporting different levels of confidence in the capabilities of government on various issues, OECD, 2023

Many believe that private sector interests significantly influence government decision making

30% think government would refuse a corporation’s demand that is against the public interest

Share who find it likely or unlikely that they government would refuse the corporation’s demand, 2023

Perceived lack of citizen voice in government decision-making impacts trust

30% believe the political system allows people like them to have a say in what government does

Share of population with high or moderately high trust in the national government (y-axis) and who find it likely that political system allows people to have a say in what the government does (x-axis), 2023

Use of evidence in policy-making is also key for trust

41% believe that government relies on the best available evidence, data and statistics in taking decisions

Share of population with high or moderately high trust in the national government (y-axis) and who find it likely that government takes decisions based on evidence (x-axis), 2023

1 Make engagement with citizens more meaningful for decision-making to enhance trust in local and national government.

2 Strengthen the ability to transparently address complex policy challenges in the public's interest, particularly at the national level.

3 Support a healthy information ecosystem and invest in evidence-based communication.

4 For all institutions, invest in improving perceptions of integrity.

5 Continue to invest in reliable, responsive and fair public services.