Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in Australia
Australia: Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations was 31.3% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in Australia, 1984–2022
Source: Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 31.3% for share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in 2022.
The figure is down 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in Australia peaked at 55.5% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 31.0%, in 2014.
That places Australia 34th out of 38 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 55.5% | — |
| 1998 | 42.1% | -24.2% |
| 2010 | 37.8% | -10.2% |
| 2014 | 31.0% | -17.9% |
| 2022 | 31.3% | +0.9% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 31.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 46.0%, 68% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 55.5% | 55.5% | 55.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 42.1% | 42.1% | 42.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 34.4% | 31.0% | 37.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 31.3% | 31.3% | 31.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More social development data for Australia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 33,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in Australia?
- Share of people who trust churches and religious organizations in Australia was 31.3% in 2022, according to Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people who trust churches and religious organizations recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 55.5% in 1984.
- What is the lowest share of people who trust churches and religious organizations recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.0% in 2014.
- How does Australia rank for share of people who trust churches and religious organizations?
- Australia ranks 34th out of 38 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of people who trust churches and religious organizations rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 who trust churches and religious organizations. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
% of respondents replying that they "trust completely" or "trust somewhat" when asked "I am going to name a number of organizations. For each one, could you tell me how much confidence you have in them: is it a great deal of confidence, quite a lot of confidence, not very much confidence or none at all?" in the organization "The Churches (mosque, temple, etc.)".