Assessing the Role of Government Trust in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence From OECD Countries

ABSTRACT This study examines the role of trust in government in advancing progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using panel data from 38 countries over the period from 2000 to 2022. The results indicate that trust in government exerts a positive and statistically significant effect on SDG performance, suggesting that higher levels of public trust are associated with improved sustainability outcomes. The findings further show that economic development is an important mechanism through which trust enhances SDG performance, reflecting governments' greater capacity to mobilize resources and coordinate long‐term development strategies. In addition, the effect of trust in government is found to be stronger in higher‐income countries, where institutional capacity and financial resources facilitate the translation of public trust into effective policy implementation. Robustness analysis confirms that these results remain consistent across alternative indicators and estimation techniques. Overall, the study highlights the importance of trust in government as a key institutional factor supporting national progress toward achieving the SDGs.