Younger people are more trusting of public sector organisations than older generations, according to PwC research

• Younger people are more trusting of public sector organisations, and the services they deliver, than older generations.
• Public sector institutions are most trusted by people to look after personal information and data, and to plan for the future 
• However, younger people trust banks more than central government to manage their data and information
• The NHS has seen the highest increase in levels of public trust over the last five years.

Younger people are more trusting of public sector institutions, and the services they deliver, than older generations, according to PwC research which surveyed over 4000 people across the UK. 

While almost half of people (46%) trust public sector institutions to deliver reliable and consistent services, this increases to six in ten (63%) 16-17 year olds.

Across all age groups, public institutions are most trusted with the public's data (58%) and plans for the future (53%). This is in contrast with people being least trusting of public institutions to spend money wisely (37%) and in representing the interests of the public (37%).

Younger people are most likely to trust public institutions to work with public and private organisations (66% and 64% respectively) and deliver reliable and consistent services (63%).   

Further research by PwC shows that younger people aged 18-25 have more confidence in the Chancellor’s recent Budget policies than older generations. PwC’s Cost of Living Tracker reported that two in ten (22%) 18-25 year olds are confident their financial situation will improve following the Budget, dropping to just one in ten (8.1%) among over 65s.

Improving levels of trust

Over the last five years the majority of people said their trust in the NHS has increased the most. 

Amongst young people aged 16-17, almost half (47%) said their trust in the NHS had increased over the last five years, compared with less than one third (27%) of those aged 35 and over. Similarly half of young people (50%) said their trust in devolved governments had increased in the same period, compared with less than one fifth (15%) of older people.  

Rachel Taylor, government and health industries leader at PwC, said: 

“In the UK, a series of recent rolling disruptions, including Brexit, COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and the cost of living crisis, have challenged traditional institutions to their utter limits.  This has led to a growing sense of disillusionment in our publicly funded organisations. Trust is crucial to maintain civic participation, reduce polarisation among communities, and tackle critical issues such as climate change and public health crises.

“The tendency for younger people to trust public sector bodies to a greater extent represents a significant opportunity for organisations that are looking to improve levels of trust in their services and the way they operate.” 

Managing data and information

Half of young people (57%) said they trust central government to look after their data and information, however when asked the same question about banks, this increased to seven in ten (73%) young people saying they trusted them to look after their data and information.  

In contrast, younger people are less trusting of high street shops and supermarkets, and online retailers to look after their data and information. Almost half of young people aged 16-17 said that they don’t trust high street retailers (46%) and online retailers (42%) to manage their data and information compared to one third (30%) of people aged over 35 (30% for high street shops and supermarkets and 35% for online retailers). 

Andy Haldane, chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), said: 

“We don’t just face a deficit of trust in public institutions but a deficit of understanding. Public  data needs to be opened up and made sense of to restore and rebuild trust, but it also needs to be communicated coherently, by making it tangible and relevant to people’s lives. For example, banks should talk about finances in a way that is useful, such as the benefits of savings, what interest rates mean and how to budget efficiently. 

“Grounding it in the reality of everyday decision making is absolutely crucial. We need to do a much better job of this right across the government, the public and private sectors, and civil society.” 

Steps to improving trust

PwC’s research revealed a consistent call from the public for 'greater transparency', 'faster resolution of issues' and 'direct engagement with my community in decision-making' for central, devolved and local government. Increased investment and staffing were seen as the top public priority for the NHS and public transport. Faster resolution of issues was the greatest improvement for local councils and the police in the eyes of the public.

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