Trust in other institutions

Governance and institutions

Trust in other institutions

Trusting that institutions other than government will do the right thing, listen, lead, respond effectively and represent the community has an impact on our wellbeing.

Trust in groups and institutions in the ACT

This measure shows the percentage of adults who agree that local groups and organisations in the ACT are good at getting things done.

Having trust in each other is important for our social cohesion.

In late 2024, 49.0% of Canberrans felt local groups and organisations in the ACT were good at getting things done, compared to 53.8% in 2023. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a sharp temporary increase in positive sentiment, but this has gradually returned closer to pre-COVID levels in recent years. In 2024, there was an increase in those who disagreed (27.4%), compared to 2023 (17.8%).

Canberrans were significantly more likely to feel local groups/organisations are good at getting things done if they:

Data for this indicator are sourced from the University of Canberra Living well in the ACT Region survey. Detailed survey data, survey user guide and published reports from the survey can be accessed at https://www.regionalwellbeing.org.au/living-well-in-the-act-region/.

Line graph of the percentage of Canberrans who agree that local groups and organisations in the ACT are good at getting things done, between 2019 and 2024.

In 2024:

  • 49.0% agreed compared to 53.8% in 2023
  • 23.6% neither agreed nor disagreed compared to 28.4% in 2023
  • 27.4% disagreed compared to 17.8% in 2023.

The Living Well in the ACT Region survey, conducted by the University of Canberra, aims to measure, track and understand the wellbeing and resilience of adult residents living in the Australian Capital Territory region of Australia. It examines factors known to affect wellbeing and resilience at the individual, household, community and regional level.

When generating data for the ACT, statistical weighting is used to address differences between the sample of people who respond to the survey, and the characteristics of the ACT adult population.

Data are produced from this survey for different groups of people in the ACT. The ‘overall response’ category represents responses at the ACT population level. Where reliable estimates can be produced, data are also presented for Canberrans by: gender, age, cultural background, gender identity and sexuality, carer role and experience of disability. Not all differences over time or between groups are statistically significant: information on confidence intervals for the data presented here is available in data tables that can be accessed at https://www.regionalwellbeing.org.au/living-well-in-the-act-region/.

Care is needed when interpreting the differences in findings between groups as the descriptive statistics published here show where there are differences in wellbeing, but not what has caused those differences in wellbeing.

Further information about the survey can be found at Living Well in the ACT Region or by contacting regionalwellbeing@canberra.edu.au.