Trust in public institutions and satisfaction with public services are important yardsticks of the quality of public governance. They reflect people’s perceptions of government competence in designing and delivering policies and services, and expectations on the behaviour of public institutions and their representatives. Although high trust in public institutions is not a necessary outcome of democratic governance, trust and satisfaction with public services facilitate effective governance, as they correlate with high rates of compliance with policies, participation in public life and social cohesion.
Satisfaction in public services in Chile is below OECD averages. About half of the population in Chile is satisfied with the education system (50%) and healthcare (48%) compared to 67% and 68%, respectively, on average in OECD countries. Less than a quarter of Chilean are satisfied with the judiciary system (23%), more than 30 percentage points lower than on average across OECD countries.