By and large, Australians consider our institutions of justice and law to be declining in trustworthiness. How these institutions –the police, the courts, prisons, the public service, and the Federal Government– fare differs depending on our age and gender, among other demographics.
Overall trust in police
Overall trust in the Federal Government
Overall trust in the courts
Overall trust in prisons
There are small differences in how much confidence we have on the basis of gender. Men are slightly more confident than women in trusting the Federal Government (40.8% vs 35.6%), the public service (53.6% vs 49.9%) and the courts (51.1% vs 45.4%).
By contrast, women in Australia are slightly more confident in the police and prisons (both 76.9% vs 74.8%).
Across all age groups, people have the most confidence in police (ranging from 63.5% for 25-34 year olds to 84% for those aged 65 and over). The comparatively high level of confidence in the police among people aged 18 to 24 (77.5%) is surprising given this age group's likelihood to be engaged in the criminal justice system.