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Cross-country comparative comprehensive investigation of public perceptions of trust and trustworthiness (2023-2025)
Project Mission
Since The Civic Culture, political trust has been seen as vital for democratic stability, fostering civic engagement, voter turnout, and law-abiding behavior. Yet, it is time to rethink these assumptions. Legitimacy relies on consent, but compliance should be earned, not blindly given. Citizens should trust authorities proven competent, honest, and impartial—while credulous faith in ineffective or corrupt institutions can harm democracy. TRUEDEM investigates these dynamics, asking whether citizens can make informed judgments about government performance and what factors shape their evaluations. It examines the role of direct experience with public services, as well as information (or misinformation) from civic intermediaries, including media, NGOs, and watchdog organizations. It also explores the societal conditions, state policies, and individual characteristics that enable—or prevent—accurate and reliable assessments of governance. A three-year Horizon-funded project (2023–2025), TRUEDEM collects cross-national survey data on trust, compares attitudes with governance indicators, examines the consequences of both cynical mistrust and credulous trust, and develops policy strategies to enhance informed trust and institutional trustworthiness. Coordinated in Austria, it includes partners across 12 European countries.
Forthcoming Events
Working Papers and Reports
This study explores whether news media contribute to political cynicism by examining both individual and societal dynamics. The virtuous circle thesis suggests that politically engaged individuals actively consume news, which enhances their knowledge, strengthens trust in democratic institutions, and encourages civic participation. On a broader scale, the information environment plays a crucial role. Open societies, with free and diverse media, enable citizens to critically assess government performance, fostering informed trust. In contrast, closed societies with restricted press encourage uncritical trust in authoritarian leaders, often disconnected from actual performance. Using cross-national and time-series data from the European Social Survey covering 39 countries, the study tests these propositions and analyzes their implications for political trust and engagement. Read full text.
Political trust and democratic innovations: State-of-the-art report
By Gonthier, F., Ayme, P., Belot,C.
This study explores whether news media contribute to political cynicism by examining both individual and societal dynamics. The virtuous circle thesis suggests that politically engaged individuals actively consume news, which enhances their knowledge, strengthens trust in democratic institutions, and encourages civic participation. On a broader scale, the information environment plays a crucial role. Open societies, with free and diverse media, enable citizens to critically assess government performance, fostering informed trust. In contrast, closed societies with restricted press encourage uncritical trust in authoritarian leaders, often disconnected from actual performance. Using cross-national and time-series data from the European Social Survey covering 39 countries, the study tests these propositions and analyzes their implications for political trust and engagement.
Institutional Trust in Europe: Dimensions, Levels, and Dynamics from a Latent Class Perspective
By Brunkert, L., Puranen, B., Turska-Kawa, A., Welzel, C.
This report examines institutional trust in Europe using Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to identify trust patterns across eight nations. It categorizes citizens into four "trust classes": Low Trust, Political Trust, Law and Order Trust, and High Trust, shaped by socio-economic, political, and cultural factors. Scandinavian countries exhibit the highest trust, while Southern and Eastern Europe show stronger Law and Order trust with electoral skepticism. Multilevel modelling assesses factors like education, income, and political attitudes influencing trust class membership. The study highlights how institutional trust affects democratic legitimacy and populist voting, suggesting that reducing inequalities and promoting inclusive governance can strengthen political trust.
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