Chile has made strides toward attaining robust economic growth over the past three decades, supported by solid macroeconomic policies, and strong institutional frameworks. Currently, it pursues an ambitious agenda to support the green and digital transitions with reforms in critical areas. Yet, the country faces enduring obstacles to achieve consensus and address stark inequalities while seeking to strengthen its democratic foundations. These domestic challenges are exacerbated those also affecting many other OECD countries, including growing polarisation, heightened geopolitical tensions, and the spread of mis- and dis-information.
In this high-stakes environment, building and preserving trust in public institutions has become a top priority for democracies worldwide, including Chile. In that regard, many people in Chile believe that public institutions are not serving enough the public interest, and trust in government and public institutions remains lower than the average across OECD countries. Reflecting its commitment to reinforce trust in democratic institutions, Chile participated in the 2023 OECD Trust Survey together with other 29 OECD countries. Moreover, Chile is supporting efforts to expand this agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean, championing the upcoming implementation of the OECD-LAC Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions, the first regional exercise under the OECD Global Trust Survey Project.
Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions in Chile analyses current trust levels and their drivers in Chile. It offers recommendations to further enhance trust, including improving the delivery and responsiveness of public services, promoting fairness across public institutions, and enhancing communication and engagement between the government and the population.
The report draws on quantitative information collected through the 2023 OECD Trust Survey. In addition, it relies on insights provided in over 50 interviews with government officials, civil society representatives and academics in Chile. This report is the sixth in-depth country study in the OECD series “Building Trust in Public Institutions” following Korea in 2018, Finland in 2021, Norway in 2022, and New Zealand and Brazil in 2023. The report was approved and declassified by the Public Governance Committee on 18 October 2024.