Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions in Australia

Governments around the world are under pressure as they navigate major systemic transformations. Concurrent environmental and digital changes, combined with geopolitical tensions and a complex information environment, are creating a context of increased volatility and uncertainty. In response, many governments in OECD countries are focusing on strengthening trust in public institutions. This is a critical priority, since public trust is a good indicator of the evolution of the relationship between institutions and the people they serve; moreover, the erosion of trust undermines governments' ability to implement effective policies. The OECD Framework on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions suggests public trust can be fostered if institutions demonstrate their reliability, responsiveness, and commitment to openness, fairness, and integrity in both their operations and decision-making processes.

Australia ranks mid-range among OECD countries, with trust levels in government remaining relatively stable compared to other nations. While trust peaked in the mid-2000s and declined afterwards, it levelled out around 2020. The country benefits from strong democratic institutions known for innovation and adaptability. While the country's multicultural heritage strengthens its democratic resilience, it grapples with economic disparities and the lingering effects of colonialism. In the 2010s, the public sector underwent changes, which affected its capacity and public perception, and growing tensions between political responsiveness and institutional independence. The COVID-19 pandemic later tested Australia's federal system, though it also showcased effective crisis management capabilities—leading to expanded government intervention and temporary increases in public trust.

Evidence from the 2023 OECD Trust Survey, conducted in October and November of 2023, reveals that trust in Australian institutions has been on the uptick since 2021, with 46% of Australians expressing high or moderately high trust in the federal government in 2023, exceeding the OECD average of 39%. This represents an eight-percentage point increase from 2021. In line with OECD-wide trends, law-and-order institutions enjoy the highest trust levels, with 68% of Australians trusting the police, while institutions associated with partisanship tend to receive lower trust ratings - 43% for federal parliament and 34% for political parties.

Despite an overall increase in trust in the Australian federal government across all population groups between 2021 and 2023, significant disparities persist and have even widened in some cases. The 2023 OECD Trust Survey finds that the most notable trust gap exists between those who feel “people like them” have a say in what the government does and those who don't, with a 52-percentage point difference. Trust levels are consistently lower among several socio-economic and demographic groups, including those experiencing financial stress, individuals with lower education levels, people who identify as belonging to discriminated-against groups, and women.

While Australians demonstrate above-average confidence in government institutions' emergency response capabilities, there are notable areas for improvement in the government’s ability to safeguard long-term interests fairly. Only 43% believe the Australian Public Service prioritises society's long-term interests. While satisfaction with essential services in education and healthcare is comparatively very high, administrative service satisfaction barely exceeds the OECD average. Perceptions of government responsiveness and innovation are rather positive compared to OECD peers, with just under half of Australians viewing the government as responsive to feedback. However, persistent population disparities in service satisfaction and concerns about equity and ethics in public sector innovation indicate ongoing challenges.

Australians generally hold positive views about government openness. For example, a large majority (70%) believe they can easily access public information and almost half of respondents (46%) feel able to participate in politics, though most limit their political engagement to voting. While public integrity perceptions are slightly above the OECD average, concerns about some private interests steering public policies persist, and integrity measures have shown minimal improvement since 2021. Perceptions of public institutions' fairness rank as the most positive among the five public governance drivers and surpass OECD averages. However, challenges remain, as issues like the Robodebt scheme have raised concerns about fair treatment.

When examining how public trust correlates with these perceptions of governance, independent of socio-economic and political factors, it emerges that the drivers of trust vary across institutions, suggesting different strategies are needed for different institutions. Perceptions of government competence play a crucial role in building trust—particularly in areas such as evidence-based decision making, service delivery, and innovation capacity. Notably, satisfaction with administrative services correlates with increased trust across all Australian public institutions, while perceived innovation drives trust specifically in the federal government and parliament. When institutions are seen to act in society's best interest, trust increases in both federal and local government. Similarly, trust in the Australian Public Service (APS) is strongly linked to perceptions that it considers long-term societal interests and provides honest advice. Lastly, trust in federal parliament and government is closely tied to perceptions of fairness and integrity, while local government trust is driven to a larger extent by openness.

Australia has undertaken this study as part of its commitment to trust-enhancing reforms and democratic principles. This report aims to contribute to Australia's efforts by providing an in-depth, evidence-based mapping of the main drivers of trust in different public institutions and identifying opportunities to strengthen public perceptions of governance—which in turn has the potential to increase trust levels. The table below summarises the main findings and areas of opportunity included in this report. Unless otherwise specified, all data points are drawn from the OECD Trust Survey.