Trust in Australian public services
Trust in institutions
Released 15/09/2025
Metric
Proportion of people who trust in Australian public services.
Why this matters
People have more satisfying lives when they live in an environment characterised by trust in each other and their institutions. Trust in Australian public services is a sign of good governance.
Progress
In 2023-24, 58% of people aged 18 years and over reported trust in public services - no change since 2021-22.
Only 13% of people aged 18 years and over reported distrust in public services in 2024.
Differences across groups
In 2023-24, people were more likely to report trust in public services if they:
- were men (63% compared with 53% of women)
- were aged 18-34 years or 65 years and over (61% and 60% compared with 55% of people aged 35-64 years)
- lived in metro areas (60% compared with 53% of people living in regional areas)
- had completed year 12 (60% compared with 49% of people who left education before completing year 12)
- were born in a country other than Australia (65% compared with 56% of people born in Australia).
Disaggregation
Further information on how trust in Australian public services differs between groups can be found in Trust in Australian Public Services – 2024 Annual Report.
Disaggregation available includes:
- Age
- Gender
- Remoteness
- Educational attainment
- Income
- Language spoken at home
- Country of birth
- Life satisfaction
- Trust in people.