Australians are happier than most with their health services, and confident AI will benefit them. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.
Australians’ trust in their public institutions has jumped substantially in recent years, and AI is part of the reason, according to a highly regarded international report.
The OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions 2026 results show the highest-ever levels of trust in Australian public institutions.
Fifty-one per cent of Australians report high or moderately high trust in 2025, which is up from 38 per cent in 2021 and well ahead of the OECD average of 40 per cent.
Perceptions of day-to-day interactions between the population and public institutions, 2025. Image: OECD.
On specific issues, Australia also scores above the OECD average on 13 service interaction indicators and on 14 of 15 indicators of complex government decision-making.
But it is in the embrace of artificial intelligence where Australians appear to be giving the public service a big tick.
AI use in government is scoring higher than the OECD average on six measures of confidence.
For the first time, the OECD Trust Survey gathered evidence on familiarity with AI and public expectations about its potential benefits in government.
In Australia, 30 per cent said they understood AI “well enough to explain it to someone else” when asked to rate their familiarity with it.
“When asked about future AI use in the public sector, 43 per cent of Australians believe the government will use AI to provide more tailored services, while 42 per cent think AI will be used to reduce costs,” the report states.
“Thirty-eight per cent are confident the government will protect personal information when using AI, 39 per cent believe human oversight will be maintained, and 40 per cent think the government will be transparent about how AI is used.
“Finally, 39 per cent believe the government will ensure fair treatment when AI is deployed in public services.
“Overall, across the six dimensions, people in Australia are more positive about the potential use of AI by government agencies than the OECD average.”
Assistant Minister for the Public Service, Patrick Gorman, said the results show Australia is on track to become a world leader in AI-enhanced public service delivery.
He said it was clear Australians have confidence in a public service that is responsive and embracing new technology while keeping people at the centre of government services.
“The results are welcomed, but the job is not done,” he said.
“This is the result of ongoing work to deliver real change for the Australian people by reducing wait times for government services and increase capability and integrity across the public service.
“The results show what is possible when people remain at the centre of how government uses AI.”
Where trust falls somewhat short, according to the report, is in party-political areas, although even in politics, Australians show greater trust than the OECD average.
Across OECD countries, people who report more positive day-to-day experiences with government also tend to report higher trust in the national government.
This is particularly so for those who are more satisfied with administrative services, who feel benefit applications are treated fairly, and believe the public sector uses data legitimately.
“Trust in public institutions in Australia varies across institutions, and tends to stand above the OECD averages for most political and administrative institutions,” the report states.
“In 2025, trust was higher in law-and-order and administrative institutions than in political institutions, in line with OECD-wide patterns. 73 per cent trust the police, 58 per cent trust in the courts, while trust in political parties stands at 39 per cent.
“Sixty per cent trust the civil service, compared to the OECD average of 45 per cent.”
Findings from the survey indicate that trust gaps are generally largest along political dimensions, especially partisanship and political agency.
Trust gaps linked to socio-economic conditions, such as financial hardship, education, or perceived discrimination, are typically narrower, and differences by age and gender are usually the smallest.
“In Australia, satisfaction with administrative services increased from 68 per cent (2023) to 74 per cent (2025),” the report states.
“Perceived fairness in benefit applications increased from 64 per cent (2023) to 68 per cent (2025); and perceived legitimacy of public sector data use increased from 46 per cent (2021) to 56 per cent (2023) and 62 per cent (2025).
“Overall, this indicates broad improvement in day-to-day experiences, which, in OECD-wide results, are meaningfully associated with trust.
“Overall, people in Australia rate decision-making on complex policy issues above the OECD average on 14 out of 15 indicators, pointing to a more favourable public assessment of how well the governmental system handles complex, long-term issues, incorporates citizen input, weighs competing interests, and acts in the public interest.”
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
