How can education build trust in a polarised world_Jonathan James_OECD .pptx

How can education build trust in a polarised world_Jonathan James_OECD .pptx

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  How can educationbuild trust in a polarised world? OECD Education Webinar Jonathan James, Analyst 17 October 2025 OECD Directorate for Education and Skills
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  Unclassified - Nonclassifié Launching Monday 22 October (link to follow) Available online: scan the QR code or download from: https://doi.org/10.1787/ee6587fd-en
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  Unclassified - Nonclassifié Why is this a pivotal moment for trust? Democracies face external pressures… and internal strains Climate change Geopolitical tensions Economic uncertainty Declining voter turnout Growing polarisation Mis- and disinformation
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  Unclassified - Nonclassifié Democracy in decline? Voter turnout in parliamentary elections by world region (1960-2023) 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania Global % TRENDS SHAPING EDUCATION 2025 © OECD 2025, https://doi.org/10.1787/ee6587fd-en Source: International IDEA (2024), “Voter Turnout Database” (Database), https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/voter-turnout-database.
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  Unclassified - Nonclassifié Polarisation - a symptom and a driver of distrust? Vote share of parties by category, 31 European countries (1993-2022) 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Far-right Far-left % Source: OECD (2025), Trends Shaping Education 2025, https://doi.org/10.1787/ee6587fd-en, based on Rooduijin et al., (2023) Affective polarisation: Dislike or distrust for those associated with opposing political views
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  Unclassified - Nonclassifié OECD Trust Survey 2023 Share of population with high or moderately high trust in the national government by age, level of education and political agency, OECD average (2023) Having a say in government's decisions Education Age -10% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% High voice High 50+ Low voice Low 18-29 % high or moderately high trust in national government Source: OECD (2024), OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions – 2024 Results: Building Trust in a Complex Policy Environment, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9a20554b-en., Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/b263dc5d-en. OECD average 44% low or no trust 39% High or moderately high trust
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  Unclassified - Nonclassifié Two types of trust Trust “A person’s belief that another person or institution will act consistently with their expectation of positive behaviour” (OECD, 2024) Interpersonal trust Institutional trust
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  Unclassified - Nonclassifié The Common Thread: Building Trust through Education Lifelong learning approaches that foster strong foundational skills Civic education that teaches students about democracy and lets them practice it Trustworthy educational institutions that show competence, honesty, and reliability
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  Unclassified - Nonclassifié People with stronger numeracy skills show higher interpersonal trust Adults aged 25-65 reporting positive outcomes for trust, by numeracy proficiency level (2023) Denmark Norway Finland Netherlands Sweden Switzerland New Zealand Flemish Regio... Ireland Austria Canada United States Germany OECD average England (UK) Korea Estonia Spain Lithuania Singapore Israel Italy Hungary Latvia Portugal France Czechia Poland* Croatia Japan Slovak Republic Chile 0 20 40 60 80 100 Level 1 and below Level 4 and above Total % Figure 3 High skills, 51% Low skills, 25% Improve foundational skills for people of all ages Source: OECD (2024e), Do Adults Have the Skills They Need to Thrive in a Changing World?: Survey of Adult Skills 2023, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/b263dc5d-en.
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  Unclassified - Nonclassifié Civic education that teaches students about democracy and lets them practice it CIVIC KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ATTITUDES An open classroom climate Opportunities to discuss social and political issues openly Cultivate a supportive environment Framework for teaching controversial issues (Pace, 2022) Address emotions Student engagement (e.g., student councils, participatory budgeting) Resilience to false and misleading content 78% 41% Source: ICCS 2022 Diversify offer Widen scope Ensure inclusion Professional learning Classroom strategies Community engagement Key drivers A coordinated approach Prepare thoroughly