U.S. Trust in Government Lowest in the OECD

Among all OECD countries with available data, the U.S. experienced the lowest level of trust in its government in 2024. It also saw one of the biggest decreases in the level of trust among its population since 2006. Trust in the U.S. national government was down 19.5 percentage points over this time frame. Only Colombia, which became a member in 2020, scored slightly lower at a loss of 20 percentage points since 2006.

Losses of trust in government were also high in Spain (-10 p.p.) and the United Kingdom (-8 p.p.). However, 40.5 percent of Spaniards still trusted their government, compared with 34.5 percent of Brits and just 29.5 percent of Colombians and 28 percent of Americans. Trust grew momentarily in France to 41.5 percent, up by 7.5 points, and it skyrocketed in Poland by 30 percentage points to 43 percent. Countries enjoying a high and growing trust in their national governments included Germany and Mexico, while a stable majority said they trusted their governments in Benelux countries, Finland, Ireland and Sweden.

Trust in government serves as a vital driving force for a country's economic development, increases the effectiveness of governmental decisions, as well as leading to greater compliance with regulations and the tax system. The level of confidence in a country's government is generally determined by whether people think their government is reliable, if it can protect its citizens from risk and whether or not it is capable of effectively delivering public services.