This report provides a comprehensive perspective of what drives trust in public institutions in 2023 by asking people in 30 OECD countries about their experience with, and expectations of public institutions at all levels of government. The OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions (Trust Survey), which provides the original data for this report, was implemented in 30 OECD countries in October and November 2023, following the inaugural 2021 wave that included 22 OECD countries. The questions in the survey build on the OECD Framework on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions, developed over the past decade by the Public Governance Committee. The 2023 Trust Survey asked the same set of questions as in 2021, allowing for comparisons in the evolution of results over time. A few new questions were introduced, allowing for a deeper understanding of the results.

The Trust Survey serves as a foundation for the OECD’s Reinforcing Democracy Initiative. Launched at the 2022 OECD Global Forum and Ministerial on “Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy”, the Reinforcing Democracy Initiative provides evidence-based guidance and good international practices to help countries reinforce democratic values and institutions.

The countries which opt in to participate in the Trust Survey do so with the aim of better understanding people’s expectations of their democracies and identifying ways in which they can deliver better for people through improved public governance. The OECD Secretariat has benefitted from strong engagement from the Public Governance Committee and Trust Survey Advisory Group throughout this work.

This report was approved and declassified by the Public Governance Committee on 4 June 2024 and prepared for publication by the Secretariat.