Title page 1

Contents 6

Foreword 4

Acknowledgements 5

Executive summary 10

Overview 13

References 16

Note 17

1. Trends and drivers of trust in Latin America and the Caribbean 18

1.1. Context matters: Latin Americans' concerns 20

1.2. A pressing global challenge: Levels of trust in government are generally low 23

1.2.1. The civil service is less trusted than the national government in LAC 25

1.2.2. The armed forces, police, civil society and media elicit more trust than the judiciary, civil service and political institutions 26

1.3. What drives trust in public institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean? 28

1.3.1. Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean could further invest in improving people's everyday experiences with public institutions (Chapter 3) 28

1.3.2. How can governments improve trust through improved day-to-day interactions with the public? 30

1.3.3. Whilst Latin Americans are relatively positive about their governments' ability to handle complex policy challenges, governments should look... 31

1.3.4. How can governments improve trust in their decision making on complex policy issues? 33

References 35

Annex 1.A. The OECD Framework on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions 37

Notes 38

2. Socio-economic conditions, political agency and trust 40

2.1. Personal backgrounds shape individuals' trust in government 42

2.1.1. People's sense of political agency and partisanship have a greater influence on trust than socio-economic or demographic characteristics 42

2.1.2. Trust in public institutions is lower among those concerned about finances, crime and discrimination 45

2.1.3. Women and younger people place less trust in government 48

2.1.4. Recent adverse experiences were found to have little impact on trust, even though results vary by country 50

References 51

Notes 52

3. Trust and perceptions of day-to-day interactions with public institutions 53

3.1. Education outperforms healthcare in satisfaction ratings, with notable socioeconomic gaps 55

3.1.1. Half of recent users express satisfaction with the education system in the LAC region 56

3.1.2. Satisfaction with the healthcare system in LAC falls significantly below the OECD average 58

3.1.3. Satisfaction with services varies across groups 60

3.2. Higher levels of satisfaction with administrative services are marred by fairness and integrity concerns 62

3.2.1. Just over half of Latin Americans are satisfied with administrative services 63

3.2.2. Many are sceptical of the fairness and integrity of public employees, reflecting a strained relationship with the civil service 66

3.3. In day-to-day interactions, people in LAC are more optimistic about government responsiveness to their needs 69

3.3.1. LAC respondents feel governments are more responsive to complaints and innovative ideas than their OECD peers 70

3.3.2. A large share of the population is concerned over data protection in a context of digital transformation of the public sector 71

References 73

Notes 75

4. Trust in government on complex policy issues 76

4.1. Governments are perceived as capable in addressing complex challenges, but less prepared to respond to emergencies 78

4.1.1. Many Latin Americans express concerns about the reliability of public institutions in responding to emergencies or adapting to new technologies 79

4.1.2. Yet half of Latin Americans are optimistic about their government's ability to tackle long-term challenges with intergenerational trade-offs 81

4.2. Concerns about political voice and accountability are common in LAC 83

4.2.1. Many people believe powerful groups are steering public policies away from the public interest 84

4.2.2. People feel able to and participate in politics, but they do not feel their voices are heard 86

4.2.3. Pessimism about checks and balances suggests that institutional accountability may be at risk 93

References 97

Notes 98

5. Trust and information integrity in Latin America and the Caribbean 99

5.1. Trust in the news media, trust in government, and media consumption patterns in LAC 101

5.2. Challenges to information integrity have consequences on trust 107

5.3. Trustworthy, accessible and inclusive public communication could enhance trust in public institutions 109

References 114

Notes 115

Annex A. The public governance drivers and personal characteristics shaping trust in public institutions 116

Understanding how public governance aspects affect trust 116

References 125

Notes 126

Annex B. Overview of the OECD Trust Survey in LAC Methodology 127

Note 129

Figures 7

Figure 1.1. A majority of people in the region see crime as a major threat to their country 21

Figure 1.2. Households in the region are frequently affected by job losses 22

Figure 1.3. About one-third report high or moderately high trust in their national government across LAC countries 23

Figure 1.4. Interpersonal trust is positively associated with institutional trust 24

Figure 1.5. Trust in the civil service is lower than trust in local or national government 25

Figure 1.6. The armed forces are the most trusted institution in LAC 27

Figure 1.7. Day-to-day dealings with public institutions require urgent improvements to boost trust 29

Figure 1.8. Main areas of focus for greater impact on trust across institutions in LAC 31

Figure 1.9. People are generally confident in their governments' ability to address intergenerational and complex challenges, but are more sceptical... 32

Figure 1.10. Main areas of focus for greater impact on trust across institutions in LAC 34

Figure 2.1. Political agency and partisanship play a more significant role in people's trust in the national government than their socio-economic status or demographic characteristics 42

Figure 2.2. People who feel they have a say in what government does or who are confident to participate in politics generally express higher trust in the national government 43

Figure 2.3. People who did not vote for a party in government trust public institutions less 44

Figure 2.4. Feelings of economic insecurity and fewer economic prospects correspond to lower trust in the national government 46

Figure 2.5. People who worry about becoming a victim of crime show lower trust in the government 47

Figure 2.6. Trust in the national government is lower among those who feel discriminated against 48

Figure 2.7. In most countries men trust the national government more 49

Figure 2.8. Trust in government and confidence in balancing intergenerational interests vary significantly across younger and older generations 50

Figure 3.1. Half of recent users are satisfied with the education system in their country 56

Figure 3.2. Students in countries with higher per-student expenditures on average perform better in a maths test 57

Figure 3.3. Four in ten people in surveyed LAC countries are satisfied with the healthcare system in their country 58

Figure 3.4. Per capita health spending in LAC countries is just over one-fourth of the OECD average 60

Figure 3.5. Individuals with financial concerns, people from discriminated groups, and those worried about crime report slightly lower satisfaction across education and health 61

Figure 3.6. A majority of people in surveyed LAC countries are satisfied with administrative services in their country 63

Figure 3.7. Enhancing information clarity and service speed could increase satisfaction with administrative services 64

Figure 3.8. Individuals with financial concerns and those worried about crime express lower levels of satisfaction with administrative services 66

Figure 3.9. A minority of people in the LAC region feel they would be treated fairly and equally by public servants 68

Figure 3.10. One in three people in surveyed LAC countries feel a public employee would refuse a petty bribe 69

Figure 3.11. Public services are perceived as more responsive in the LAC region than in the OECD more broadly 70

Figure 3.12. 2023 OECD/IDB Digital Government Index LAC, composite results by country 71

Figure 3.13. In a context of digital transformation, a minority of people in LAC feel confident that government will only use their data for legitimate purposes only 72

Figure 4.1. Latin Americans are nearly evenly split in perceptions of whether their government would be prepared to protect lives in the event of an emergency 80

Figure 4.2. Around a third doubt their government will regulate new technologies appropriately and help businesses and people use tech responsibly 81

Figure 4.3. Many Latin Americans are confident about their governments' ability to handle complex policy challenges 82

Figure 4.4. A slight majority express confidence in their government's ability to collaborate with other national stakeholders and handle complex challenges 83

Figure 4.5. One-third of Latin Americans believe that their national governments would reject a harmful policy promoted by a corporation, slightly above the OECD average 85

Figure 4.6. Nearly half of people in LAC feel high-level political officials would not reject private sector incentives in exchange for political favours 86

Figure 4.7. A small majority of people in Latin America and the Caribbean feel able to participate in politics 87

Figure 4.8. Political activities are more widespread in LAC 88

Figure 4.9. Greater confidence in having a say is associated with higher trust in government 89

Figure 4.10. Many people hesitate about governments changing unpopular policies 90

Figure 4.11. Many are sceptical about governments providing opportunities to voice opinions, as well as adopting opinions gathered in a public consultation 91

Figure 4.12. Distrusting respondents are politically engaged 93

Figure 4.13. A third find it likely that the national legislature holds the government accountable 94

Figure 4.14. Only three in ten people believe that courts decide independently from political interference 95

Figure 4.15. Trust in the judiciary tends to be higher where judicial independence is perceived to be stronger 96

Figure 5.1. More people trust the media in LAC countries than across the OECD 102

Figure 5.2. Social media is the most frequently cited source of political information across LAC 103

Figure 5.3. People in LAC countries estimate they obtain over half of their political and current affairs information from social media 104

Figure 5.4. In LAC countries, generational differences in using social media for political information are significantly smaller 105

Figure 5.5. Trust gaps by information sources are narrower in LAC countries than in the OECD 106

Figure 5.6. People who prefer not getting any information about politics tend to have more negative views of public governance in both OECD and LAC countries 107

Figure 5.7. Social factors play a more prominent role in news assessment across LAC regions compared to OECD countries 108

Figure 5.8. A minority of people in the LAC region feel the government uses the best available evidence when making decisions 110

Figure 5.9. Government statistics are largely perceived as inaccessible 111

Figure 5.10. Latin Americans are largely satisfied with the clarity of information about administrative services, but less with the clarity of communication around policy reforms 112

Figure 5.11. Those financially disadvantaged and who feel disconnected from political processes are less confident that the government would explain... 113

Boxes 9

Box 1. The OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean 14

Box 2. Selected country initiatives using data and results of the OECD Trust Survey 15

Box 1.1. Low levels of interpersonal trust correspond with lower trust in public institutions 24

Box 1.2. National civil services enjoy relatively solid levels of trust in OECD countries 26

Box 3.1. OECD Recommendation on Human-Centred Public Administrative Services 65

Box 4.1. Distrusting but not disengaged 92

Annex Tables 9

Table 1.A.1. OECD Framework on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions and survey questions 37

Table A A.1. The effects of different governance drivers on trust into institutions 124

Table A B.1. Overview on hard and soft sampling quotas 128

Table A B.2. Data collection overview 128

Table A B.3. Additional questions in the 2025 OECD Trust Survey in LAC 128

Annex Figures 8

Figure A A.1. People who perceive governments to use the best available evidence and balance intergenerational interests are more likely to have high... 118

Figure A A.2. Satisfaction with administrative services is the strongest driver of trust in the national civil service 119

Figure A A.3. Confidence in legislatures' ability to balance different interests in society is the strongest driver of trust in the legislative 120

Figure A A.4. Ensuring people can voice their opinions on decisions affecting their community has the highest potential for increasing trust in local government 122

Annex Boxes 9

Box A A.1. Logit regression assessing the significance of different factors related to trust 123