Continued low trust environments not only damage social cohesion and political participation, but also limit governments’ ability to function effectively and respond to complex domestic and global challenges. Public trust is a pillar of democracy, fostering debate and participation, encouraging compliance with the law, and facilitating reforms. In the face of major environmental, demographic, fiscal and technological challenges, governments need to step up their efforts to strengthen trust, govern effectively and secure democratic resilience.
Trust in government
Countries face a crisis of trust which becomes increasingly concerning amid economic downturns, health emergencies and other crises. Since democracies require citizen trust in government to function effectively, the OECD Trust Survey provides governments with the data, tools and solutions necessary to assess trust in public institutions, understand long-term trends and enable them to take direct policy action, targeted at the root causes of low trust.
Key messages
For a thriving democracy and the well-being of citizens, it is imperative that we strengthen public trust in our public institutions. To do so, governments must ensure that effective public services respond to the needs of a diverse population, policy decisions are transparent and made in the best interest, checks and balance among institutions are in place, and people can meaningfully participate in decisions. Taking action on these fronts can pave the way for a more responsive, reliable and credible governance that can better meet the expectations and needs of the people it serves.
Carried out every two years, the OECD Trust Survey measures the level of people’s confidence in their governments and public institutions, with a unique focus on the factors that drive public trust — government responsiveness, reliability, capacity to tackle complex and global challenges, integrity, fairness and openness — to better address society's most pressing challenges. This enables countries to adopt a comprehensive strategy for building trust that encompasses both the day-to-day interactions between government and population and complex policy issues.
Context
Multiple crises can further undermine trust in public institutions
In 2023, around four in ten people (39%) had high or moderately high trust in their country’s national government and a higher share (44%) had no or low trust. Trust in government varies significantly across countries and groups. It is noticeably lower for people feeling a lack of political voice and those with a sense of financial insecurity. In countries where concerns about the economic well-being of one’s household are more widespread, trust in the national government tends to be lower. Globally, women, young people, and those with low levels of education tend to report lower trust in government than other groups. rust has slightly fallen since 2021, although levels are still higher than after the global financial crisis. In a poly-crises environment, efforts will need to be made to build trust.
Giving people opportunities to have a say in what the government does is essential in building a trusting relationship
In democracies, the main instrument for the public to hold government and parliament accountable are free and fair elections. However, people do not necessarily believe that they are able to influence politics through the electoral system. In 2023, A majority (53%) believe that the political system does not allow people like them to have a say; and those who feel they don’t have political voice tend to have low trust in the government. This is a call to action for governments to rethink processes of participation and representation that are at the heart of democracy.
People rely on checks and balances to hold democratic institutions accountable
Checks and balances, along with constitutional safeguards, ensure that no single branch of government, including the executive national government, can take decisions without the oversight of the other branches of power. In 2023, nearly four in ten (38%) think it is likely that the parliament can hold the government accountable for their policies. In countries where more people believe in the checks and balances between different branches of government, trust in the national government – and trust in the parliament - is higher. The same relation holds, albeit less strongly, between confidence in the parliament oversight function and trust in parliament.
Related policy issues
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Rule of Law and access to justice play crucial role in restoring trust, ensuring respect of democratic values and supporting an inclusive recovery. Citizens expect equal access to justice, in line with the Riga Justice Agenda, which focused on developing an integrated and interdisciplinary justice response to present and future global crises. The key role of access to justice is recognised to enable democracies to deliver on people’s expectations, as improving access to justice is a key part of accessible government, in line with the SDG Agenda to leave no one behind.Learn more
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The spread of false and misleading information poses significant risks to the well-being of people and society. While such content is not necessarily illegal, it can contribute to polarisation, jeopardise the implementation of policies, and undermine trust in democratic institutions and processes. Action is required to strengthen the integrity of information spaces to protect freedom of expression and democratic engagement.Learn more
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The impact of years of health, geopolitical and economic crises have heightened the urgency for governments to ensure accurate and timely information exchange and reconnect with citizens. Yet, amidst the challenges posed by an increasingly complex information environment, governments also find themselves presented with new avenues for public communication, stemming from the digital transformation.Learn more
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The case for action to strengthen our democracies is clear: lower voter turnout in many countries, diminishing trust, greater political polarisation, and larger groups disassociating themselves from traditional democratic processes are testing our institutions and hindering governments’ ability to effect positive change for citizens. Our work on open government looks at how governments ensure the inclusion, quality and impact of participatory processes to enable all citizens and stakeholders to influence government activities and decision making and actively participate in the public life.Learn more
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Societal upheavals such as population ageing, digitalisation, rising inequalities, and climate change bring about profound uncertainties for young people and future generations. Despite unparalleled access to information, education, and technology, trust among young people in government is low amidst new threats to the resilience of democratic institutions.Learn more