Colombians place greater trust in education than in the Government to build the country’s future
- The survey “Voices for a Dignified Future,” conducted by the Social Research Center (SRC), reveals that Academia, Science, and the Education System rank more than 1.4 points higher in trust than the Government, Parliament, and the Judicial System.
- Although 84% of respondents express “uncertainty” about the future, 61.5% envision their long-term future in Colombia, identifying “their people” and human talent as the country’s main asset.
- The local findings align with the Edelman Trust Barometer, which shows a global erosion of trust in traditional political structures.
Colombia, June 2026
A survey conducted by the Social Research Center (SRC) on Colombians’ expectations for 2046 found that education and academia are the institutions that generate the greatest trust for building the country’s future, far surpassing the Government, Congress, and the Judicial System.
The study, titled “Voices for a Dignified Future: Colombia towards 2046,” gathered responses from citizens in different regions of the country. The results show that Academia and Science received a trust rating of 3.77 out of 5, the same score achieved by the Education System. In contrast, Parliament received 2.33 points and the Government 2.60.
For the researchers, the results reflect a growing appreciation of knowledge, education, and the training of new generations as fundamental tools to address challenges such as technological transformation, inequality, and the social changes of the coming decades, since Colombia has historically not placed education at the center of public debate.
The study, titled “Voices for a Dignified Future: Colombia towards 2046,” gathered responses from citizens in different regions of the country. The results show that Academia and Science received a trust rating of 3.77 out of 5, the same score achieved by the Education System. In contrast, Parliament received 2.33 points and the Government 2.60.
For the researchers, the results reflect a growing appreciation of knowledge, education, and the training of new generations as fundamental tools to address challenges such as technological transformation, inequality, and the social changes of the coming decades, since Colombia has historically not placed education at the center of public debate.
The Colombian Paradox
The SRC study reveals a complex social combination: Colombians are neither blindly optimistic nor paralyzed pessimists; they are fully aware of environmental and global risks, yet they trust in human capabilities to confront them.
When sentiments toward the coming decades were explored, uncertainty led the indicator with 84 mentions, followed by hope (49) and fear (19). Likewise, respondents identified the following as the main global and local threats:
This resilience is sustained by the fact that citizens do not identify the State as their main strategic resource. When asked about Colombia’s greatest assets looking toward 2046, the most common response was “its people,” followed by education, natural resources, and the population’s capacity for resilience.
“Citizens appear to be saying something very concrete: Colombia’s future will depend less on who governs and more on how capable we are of educating, innovating, and building knowledge,” the analysis concludes.
When sentiments toward the coming decades were explored, uncertainty led the indicator with 84 mentions, followed by hope (49) and fear (19). Likewise, respondents identified the following as the main global and local threats:
- Economic crisis and inequality (65%).
- The climate crisis (59%).
- International geopolitical conflicts (50%).
This resilience is sustained by the fact that citizens do not identify the State as their main strategic resource. When asked about Colombia’s greatest assets looking toward 2046, the most common response was “its people,” followed by education, natural resources, and the population’s capacity for resilience.
“Citizens appear to be saying something very concrete: Colombia’s future will depend less on who governs and more on how capable we are of educating, innovating, and building knowledge,” the analysis concludes.