From:Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

Ireland performs strongly on public services and civic engagement as OECD highlights importance of transparency, responsiveness and citizen voiceThe Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers TD, today welcomed the publication of the OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions 2026, an assessment of public trust in government and public institutions across OECD countries, and the release of the Irish findings by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The OECD report, which provides the results for 38 OECD and accession countries, finds that trust in public institutions remains a key enabler of effective government and public service delivery, particularly at a time when governments around the world are responding to complex challenges.

The survey assesses levels of trust in public institutions, including national government, the civil service, local government, legislatures, police and courts, as well as the factors that influence trust. The findings illustrate how trust between citizens, governments and public institutions is essential for the successful delivery of government programmes and public services. The report provides valuable insights into what drives public confidence in government and public services and highlights the importance of continuing to strengthen transparency, responsiveness and citizen engagement.

The report highlights a number of positive findings for Ireland:

The report also identifies challenges. For example, housing and inflation remain issues of concern for Irish respondents, while trust gaps remain between different groups within the population.

Welcoming the report, Minister Chambers said:“Building trust is a core aim of our Better Public Services strategy and a guiding principle for our transformation initiatives and for wider initiatives across government. “I am encouraged that Ireland continues to perform strongly in areas such as satisfaction with public services and high levels of trust in the civil service. These results reflect the commitment and professionalism of public servants across the country and the significant progress that has been made through public service reform and trustworthy digital transformation.

“There are also areas that are more challenging that point to where Ireland can and should do better. Many countries across the OECD share similar challenges. The findings underline the importance of continuing our work to modernise public services, strengthen public participation in decision-making and ensure that digital innovation is deployed in a way that supports public sector values.

“People understandably have concerns about important issues that affect their daily lives and the government is taking action to listen and respond to these concerns, through the delivery of the programme for government and ensuring that investment in public services leads to better services and outcomes for our people”.

“Better Public Services 2030 is the government’s strategy for public service transformation to strengthen trust and deliver for the public. The OECD Trust survey provides an important source of data and benchmarking towards assessing progress in relation to the outcomes of the strategy”.

Find the full report on Irish findings here:Trust Survey 2025 - Central Statistics Office