OCDE - OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions 2026 Results Croatia

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OECD SURVEY ON DRIVERS OF TRUST IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS 2026 RESULTS – COUNTRY NOTES: CROATIA © OECD 2026

The OECD Trust Survey explores people’s perceptions of different public institutions i n their country and the degree to which they trust their government. These perceptions range from day -to-day interactions with public institutions to decision making on c omplex policy issues. It showcases evidence on people’s experiences with and expectations of government reliability, responsiveness, fai rness, integrity and openness. The 2025 survey, which followed earlier rounds in 2021 and 2023, includes 33 OECD and 5 OECD accession countries. The survey covers a representative sample of the adult popu lation of each participating country. It was carried out between 11 September and 14 November in Cr oatia, aligned with data collection in a majority of participating countries. Trust in public institutions In 2025, Croatia participated in the OECD Trust Survey for the first time. 24% of people report high or moderately high trust in the national government, below the OECD average (40%). Figure 1. Trust in national government, 2025 Share of population who indicate different levels of trust in their national government (on a 0-10 scale), 2025

Note: ‘High or moderately high’ corresponds to the aggregation of response options 6-10 to the question “On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is not at all and 10 is completely, how much do you trust the national/federal government?”; neut ral to option 5 and “low or no” to response options 0-4. 1 Croatia2  OECD SURVEY ON DRIVERS OF TRUST IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS 2026 RESULTS – COUNTRY NOTES: CROATIA © OECD 2026

Trust in public institutions in Croatia generally falls below OECD averages. In 2 025, trust was higher in law-and-order and administrative institutions than in political institutions, in line with OECD-wide patterns.

Trust in public institutions in Croatia generally falls below OECD averages. In 2 025, trust was higher in law-and-order and administrative institutions than in political institutions, in line with OECD-wide patterns. 48% trust in the police, 29% trust in the courts, while trust in political parties stands at 12%. 27% trust in the civil service, compared to the OECD average of 45%. Figure 2. Levels of trust in different public institutions and the media Share of population with high or moderately high trust in different public institutions and the media, 2025

Note: ‘High or moderately high’ corresponds to the aggregation of response options 6-10 to the question “On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is not at all and 10 is completely, how much do you trust [institution]?”; neutral to option 5 and “low or no” to respon se options 0-4. Country-specific terms may have been used in the survey implementation for some public institutions. The labels in the figure are used to facilitate cross-country comparison.

Gaps in trust in the national government across population groups Findings from the OECD Trust Survey 2025 indicate that trust gaps are generally largest along political dimensions, especially partisanship and political agency, while gaps linked to socio-economic conditions (such as financial hardship, education, or perceived discrimination) are typically narrower, and differences by age and gender are usually the smallest. In Croatia overall, the pattern of whi ch characteristics matter most is in line with the OECD-wide pattern. In terms of gap size, the divides in Croatia are smaller than the OECD average for politi cal agency/voice (45 percentage points (p.p.), compared to an OECD gap of 47 p.p.); and for financial hardship (9 p.p. compared to OECD 18 p.p.). Trust gaps by education are pronounced but below the OECD average: trust in the national government is 6 percentage points higher among people with a pos t-secondary degree (26%) than those without (20%), compared to an average OECD education trust gap of 14 p.p. Ag e

compared to OECD 18 p.p.). Trust gaps by education are pronounced but below the OECD average: trust in the national government is 6 percentage points higher among people with a pos t-secondary degree (26%) than those without (20%), compared to an average OECD education trust gap of 14 p.p. Ag e patterns align with the OECD average: young people in Croatia report less trust (20%) than those aged 50+ (27%). Among women in Croatia, the share with high or moderately high trust in the national government is 9 percentage points smaller than among men (compared to OECD 7 p.p.). 3

OECD SURVEY ON DRIVERS OF TRUST IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS 2026 RESULTS – COUNTRY NOTES: CROATIA © OECD 2026

Figure 3. Levels of trust by population group Share of population with high or moderately high trust in the national government by population group, 2025

Note: ‘High or moderately high’ corresponds to the aggregation of response options 6-10 to the question “On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is not at all and 10 is completely, how much do you trust the national/federal government?”; neutral to option 5 and “low or no” to response options 04.

Perceptions of day to day interactions with public institutions Perceptions of dayto-day dealings with public institutions in Croatia are less positive than the OECD average, with Croatia scoring below the OECD average on the 13 indicators. This provides a snapshot of how well people feel public services and frontline interactions work in practice (for example, how easy it is to access services, get information, and have issues resolved). Across OECD countries, people who report more positive dayto-day experiences with government also tend to report higher trust in the national government, particularly those who are more satisfied with administrative services, feel benefit applications are treated fairly, and believe the public sector uses data legitimately. In Croatia, s atisfaction with administrative services stands at 55% (2025); perceived fairness in benefit applic ations at 34% (2025);

government, particularly those who are more satisfied with administrative services, feel benefit applications are treated fairly, and believe the public sector uses data legitimately. In Croatia, s atisfaction with administrative services stands at 55% (2025); perceived fairness in benefit applic ations at 34% (2025); and perceived legitimacy of public sector data use at 41% (2025). Overall, this suggests low p erformance on these day-to-day experiences which, in OECD-wide results, are meaningfully associated with trust.4  OECD SURVEY ON DRIVERS OF TRUST IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS 2026 RESULTS – COUNTRY NOTES: CROATIA © OECD 2026

Figure 4. Perceptions of day-to-day interactions between the population and public institutions, 2025 Share of population who are satisfied with public services or find a positive action in the respective situation likely, OECD and Croatia, 2025

Note: The figure presents the unweighted OECD averages and values for Croatia of the share of respondents who choose a response of 6-10 on the 0-10 scale for the above questions. Satisfaction with public services is restricted to recent service users.

Perceptions on decision making on complex policy issues Overall, people in Croatia rate decision making on complex policy issue s above the OECD average on 2 out of 15 indicators, pointing to a less favourable public assessment of how well the governmental system handles complex, long-term issues, incorporates citizen input, weighs competing interests, and acts in the public interest. At the OECD level, for more complex aspects of governance, the strongest association with trust are perceptions that government uses evidence in decision-making, that it can balance the interests of different generations, and that people like you have a say in what government does. In Croatia, in 2025, positive perceptions of the use of evidence are 26%; views on inte rgenerational balancing are 22%; and political voice is 14%. Taken together, this indicates low perceptions of complex decision-making factors relative to the OECD average that, at the OECD level, are strongly associated with trust. 5

balancing are 22%; and political voice is 14%. Taken together, this indicates low perceptions of complex decision-making factors relative to the OECD average that, at the OECD level, are strongly associated with trust. 5

OECD SURVEY ON DRIVERS OF TRUST IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS 2026 RESULTS – COUNTRY NOTES: CROATIA © OECD 2026

Figure 5. Perceptions of government decision making on complex policy issues, 2025 Share of population who are confident in or find a positive action in the respective situation likely, OECD and Croatia, 2025

Note: The figure presents the unweighted OECD averages and values for Croatia of the share of respondents who choose a response of 6-10 on the 0-10 scale for the above questions.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming embedded in the way governments design, deliver, and manage policies. Understanding how people expect governments to use AI, and the conditions under which they find that use acceptable, is therefore essential for shaping credible st rategies and maintaining trust. For the first time, the 2025 OECD Trust Survey gathered evidence on famili arity with AI and public expectations about its potential benefits in government. In Croatia, 36% say t hey understand AI “we ll enough to explain it to someone else” when asked to rate their familiarity with it. When asked about future AI use in the public sector, 44% of Croatians believe the government will use AI to provide more tailored services, while 41% think AI will be used to reduce cos ts. 33% are confident the government will protect personal information when using AI, 39% believe human oversight will be maintained, and 37% think the government will be transparent about how AI is used. Finally, 4 0% believe the government will ensure fair treatment when AI is deployed in public services. Considering the average assessment across the six dimensions, people in Croatia are generally comparabl y positive in their assessment of the potential of AI use by government agencies than the OECD average.6 

the government will ensure fair treatment when AI is deployed in public services. Considering the average assessment across the six dimensions, people in Croatia are generally comparabl y positive in their assessment of the potential of AI use by government agencies than the OECD average.6  OECD SURVEY ON DRIVERS OF TRUST IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS 2026 RESULTS – COUNTRY NOTES: CROATIA © OECD 2026

Figure 6. Perceptions of AI use in government, 2025 Levels of confidence in the potential of government AI use to fulfil the respective expectation, OECD, 2025

Note: The figure shows the OECD averages of responses to the question “Thinking about how government agencies could use AI in the future, how confident are you that government agencies will achieve the following outcomes?” “Confident” corresponds to a response of 6-10 on the 010 scale, “neutral” to 5 and “not confident” to 0 -4 on the 0-10 scale. The OECD average is calculated as the unweighted average of weighted country averages. 7

OECD SURVEY ON DRIVERS OF TRUST IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS 2026 RESULTS – COUNTRY NOTES: CROATIA © OECD 2026

This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of th e OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD. This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. The full book is available in English: OECD (2026), OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions 2026 Results: Navigating Rising Expectations and New Horizons, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9eb63fec-en.

© OECD 2026

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Expectations and New Horizons, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9eb63fec-en.

© OECD 2026

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