Trust in Australia’s public institutions is higher than that of most OECD countries, but not so much in our political leaders or media. Photo: Svetikd.
Trust and satisfaction in Australia’s public institutions is above the OECD average, according to the latest survey results released by the intergovernmental organisation.
But trust in the actual government, like in the rest of the world, is somewhat of a mixed bag.
The OECD has just published its second Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions across 30 OECD countries in 2023 and their evolution since 2021.
Last year, 46 per cent of Australians reported high or moderately high trust in the federal government, above the OECD average of 39 per cent.
This number represents an increase of 8 percentage points since 2021, which is the third-highest increase among the 18 OECD countries with that particular available data.
Overall, Australia is now placed in the top 10 of the 30 OECD countries surveyed in terms of trust in public institutions.
“Australia performs better than the OECD average in almost all measures of decision-making on complex policy issues,” the report states.
“However, in Australia and across the OECD, a lower share of people have positive perceptions regarding complex decision-making than regarding day-to-day interactions with public institutions.
“A large majority of Australians (62 per cent) find it likely that the government would be ready to protect lives in case of a national emergency, compared to 53 per cent on average across OECD countries.
“A majority of Australians (52 per cent) expect the government would use the best available evidence in decision-making, a share that is 11 percentage points higher than the OECD average (41 per cent).
“Slightly below half of Australians (46 per cent) believe that the political system allows people like them to have a say in what government does.”
Perceptions of government integrity are low in most countries. Only 25 per cent of people in Australia find it likely the government would refuse a corporation’s demand that could be harmful to society as a whole, lower than the average across OECD countries (30 per cent).
As in most OECD countries, the survey says, Australians place more trust in the police (68 per cent), other people (65 per cent), and in courts and the judicial system (59 per cent) than they do in the Federal Government (46 per cent).
Half of the population reports high or moderately high trust in the local government (51 per cent) and the Australian Public Service (50 per cent).
Political parties (34 per cent) and news media (41 per cent) are the least trusted institutions in Australia.
“Australians who feel that the current political system does not let people like them have a say tend to trust the Federal Government 52 percentage points less than those who feel they have a political voice,” the report states.
“This trust gap is larger than the 47 percentage points gap on average across OECD countries.”
Men in Australia, on average, are more likely to have high or moderately high trust in the federal government (54 per cent) than women do (38 per cent). The trust gap between the old and young is below the OECD average, while the trust gap between those with and without financial concerns is above the OECD average.
The trust gap between people with lower and higher educational attainment in Australia is similar to the OECD average gap.
The APS Commission welcomed the results, saying the survey provides valuable insights into the public’s perceptions of various Australian public institutions.
In a statement, the APSC noted that Australians’ trust in the Federal Government has increased significantly from 38 per cent in 2021 to 46 per cent in 2023 and that it exceeds the OECD average of 39 per cent.
“Australia performed above the OECD average on a range of indicators: recognition that the government makes decisions based on the best available evidence; satisfaction with day-to-day interactions with government; optimism that applications for government benefits are treated fairly; satisfaction with recent experiences of the education and health care systems; and confidence that the government is ready to protect lives in a national emergency,” it said.
“Despite Australia’s high levels of trust, there are opportunities to improve. These include a higher-than-average gender gap in trust and over a third of Australians reporting that housing remains a critical issue to address.
“The APSC is currently working with OECD on a country study to further explore these results.”
A large majority of Australians (71 per cent) with recent experience with the education system are satisfied with it, compared to 57 per cent on average across the OECD. In comparison, 68 per cent expressed satisfaction with the administrative services they used, which the report states is an “important driver of trust” in the civil service.
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