Theme deep dive · Governance & Trust
Headline stat
86%
call corruption a major obstacle to development (2026)
Kectil Youth Speak 2025 and 2026
31%
see opportunities for youth to participate in governance, up from 27%
39%
feel their voice matters in political decisions
49%
say their country is making SDG progress, up from 42%
Three things the data shows
Agreement that corruption is a major obstacle to development eased from 91% to 86%.
Youth seeing opportunities to participate in governance rose from 27% to 31%.
Belief that leaders prioritize policies that benefit youth rose from 24% to 28%.
2025 vs 2026
Top-2-box agreement (rated 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) for each tracked statement in this theme, sorted by largest year-over-year movement.
Corruption concern remains high, but most negative corruption indicators eased from 2025 to 2026.
Colored cells with an arrow mark statistically significant year-over-year changes at the 95% confidence level: green-teal for favorable shifts, red for unfavorable shifts. Gray cells without an arrow are not statistically significant.
Highest 2026 signal
Corruption is a major obstacle to development
86%
Largest YoY movement
Country is making SDG progress
+7 ptsFavorable
Country is making SDG progress
Corruption discourages youth from governance
Government corruption is widely accepted
Corruption is a major obstacle to development
Large corporations have excessive policy influence
Corruption impacts access to jobs, education, or basic services
Officials' corruption encourages youth to profit from government
Source: Kectil Youth Speak annual comparison tables, chart 10. Thinking about corruption and government in your home country... Base sizes: 2025 n=2,252; 2026 n=2,706. Measure: % selected top-2-box, rating 4/5 on a 5-point scale. Colored background + arrow = 2025-vs-2026 difference is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level (two-proportion z-test; run only when both years have at least 35 respondents). Gray = not a statistically significant change.
2026 slide preview
These selected slide previews keep the deep dive connected to the presentation-ready Youth Speak evidence.
Slide 11
A governance slide showing softening corruption indicators.
Slide 15
A governance slide centered on youth leadership and agency.
Slide 16
A governance slide on political inclusion and leadership.
Slide 18
A direct leadership-demand slide for reports and governance context.
Slide 10
The first final-deck governance trend slide.
Slide 11
A governance trend slide focused on rising local trust.
Slide 12
The 2026 regional differences view for governance.
Slide 13
The year-over-year regional governance comparison.
“I hope for a future where youths can be true lead voices in policy changes and the development of the country.”
Female, 26, Nigeria
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