What drives trust in government? This report presents the main findings of the first OECD cross-national survey on trust in government and public institutions, representing over 50 000 responses across 22 OECD countries. The survey measures government performance across five drivers of trust – reliability, responsiveness, integrity, openness, and fairness – and provides insights for future policy reforms. This investigation marks an important initiative by OECD countries to measure and better understand what drives people’s trust in public institutions – a crucial part of reinforcing democracy.

Public trust is the bedrock of democracy and sound public governance. This series provides insights on what drives people to trust governments and public institutions. Based on a unique framework on the Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions and an innovative population survey (OECD Trust Survey), the reports in this series are designed to provide sound evidence on citizens’ assessment of public institutions to help governments build and strengthen public trust.