Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in Australia
Australia: Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" was 48.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in Australia, 1984–2022
Source: Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in Australia stood at 48.5%.
That represents a change of up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in Australia peaked at 51.5% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 39.4%, in 1998.
Australia ranks 8th of 39 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 46.3% | 46.3% | 46.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 39.4% | 39.4% | 39.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 48.5% | 45.6% | 51.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 48.5% | 48.5% | 48.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More social development data for Australia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 33,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 41 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score 1.86 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 31 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 82,925 (2025)
- Forcibly displaced people 116,340 (2025)
- Press freedom 2 (2016)
- Self-reported life satisfaction 6.92 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in Australia?
- Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in Australia was 48.5% in 2022, according to Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 51.5% in 2014.
- What is the lowest share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.4% in 1998.
- How does Australia rank for share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted"?
- Australia ranks 8th out of 39 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted". Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
% of respondents replying "Most people can be trusted" when asked "Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you need to be very careful in dealing with people?" Possible answers include "Most people can be trusted", "Do not know" and "Need to be very careful".