Theme: Cohesive
Dimension: Trust in institutions
Metric
Proportion of people who report having general trust in others
Why does this matter
People have more satisfying lives when they live in an environment characterised by trust in each other and their institutions. Trust also creates the conditions necessary for a society to make progress in pursuing policy that can improve the wellbeing of all people.
Has there been progress
In 2020, 3 out of 5 Australians reported having general trust in others, slightly higher than the previous year of more than half (55.6 per cent).1 Trust in others has increased since 2006, from 54.1 per cent to 61.4 per cent in 2020. Older people aged 70 years and over are more likely to trust others compared to younger people (aged 15-24).
1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2020) General Social Survey, ABS website, accessed 14 July 2023.