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 with public services in Spain is in line with the OECD average values. Slightly more than two thirds (67%) of people reported being satisfied with the education and healthcare systems, similar to OECD averages across OECD countries, 67% and 68% respectively. Slightly above half of respondents in Spain were satisfied with the judiciary system, below the OECD average (56%).