Why Latin Americans Are Losing Faith In Institutions

Key Points

• Trust in national government is limited: 35% high or moderately high; 48% low or none.
• Crime and violence dominate priorities: 60% rank them among the top three national problems, about double the OECD share.
• Trust tracks voice: 66% among those who feel people like them can influence decisions, versus 21% among those who feel ignored.

The OECD’s first regional trust survey, within its Global Trust Survey Project, uses two waves (2023 and 2025) across ten countries—Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, and the Dominican Republic—surveying about 2,000 adults per country.

It reads like a pressure gauge for legitimacy. The institutional map is stark. Local government trust averages 37% (OECD: 45%).

The national public administration scores 32%, pointing to doubts about efficiency and impartiality. The national legislature averages 27%, and parties rank lowest. Police and armed forces tend to be among the most trusted institutions.

Vulnerability and Services Shape Citizen Confidence

The deeper driver is inclusion. Trust is 23 percentage points higher among people aligned with governing parties. Demographic gaps are smaller: women report 3 points less trust than men, and adults aged 18–29 report 4 points less than those over 50.

Vulnerability cuts harder: financial insecurity links to a 15-point trust drop; fear of crime, 9 points; identification with discriminated groups, 7. Delivery is the daily test. Satisfaction is 55% for administrative services, but 50% for education and 40% for health care.

Only 36% believe benefit applications are handled fairly, and 31% think officials would refuse a bribe. Still, 43% expect services can improve after complaints.

Long-run capacity and information flows now shape the ceiling for trust. Forty-six percent believe governments can balance interests between generations, above the OECD average, yet many doubt emergency readiness and regular use of scientific evidence.

Media trust is 42%. Social networks dominate political news (72% use them; OECD: 49%). Fewer than a quarter see official statistics as reliable or easy to access, and only 36% say governments clearly explain how reforms will affect their lives.

For expats, low trust means more friction—and more reliance on predictable rules, clean administration, and plain-language reform explanations than on grand promises.