Trust in key institutions
Trust in institutions
Released 15/09/2025
Metrics
- Proportion of people who report having trust in the healthcare system
- Proportion of people who have trust in police
Why this matters
People have more satisfying lives when they live in an environment characterised by trust in each other and their institutions. The belief that the healthcare system and the police will provide the intended services are key to wellbeing.
Progress
In 2020, the ABS General Social Survey reported that:
- 76% of people agreed that the healthcare system can be trusted
- 79% of people agreed that the police can be trusted.
More recent data from the Mapping Social Cohesion Report shows that in 2024, 72% of adults think the police and the healthcare system can be trusted all or most of the time.
The OECD Drivers of Public Trust Survey shows that in 2023, 68% of people in Australia had high or moderately high trust in the police, compared with 63% in 2021.
From 2026 onwards, this indicator will be updated annually with data from the expanded General Social Survey.
Differences across groups
People living in major cities reported higher levels of trust in the healthcare system than those in outer regional and remote areas (78% and 70%, respectively). The levels of trust in police were similar for people living in major cities (78%), inner regional areas (83%) and outer regional and remote areas (79%).
People who described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual reported lower levels of trust in the healthcare system (68%) than people who described themselves as heterosexual (78%). They also reported lower levels of trust in police (56% compared to 82%).
Disaggregation
Further information on how trust in key institutions varies between groups is available in the ABS General Social Survey 2020.
Disaggregation available includes:
- Age
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Health status
- Mental health status
- Disability status
- Residency
- Remoteness.