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A Crisis of Political Trust? Global Trends in Institutional Trust from 1958 to 2019

Abstract
Abstract In the study of politics, many theoretical accounts assume that we are experiencing a ‘crisis of democracy’, with declining levels of political trust. While some empirical studies support this account, others disagree and report ‘trendless fluctuations’. We argue that these empirical ambiguities are based on analytical confusion: whether trust is declining depends on the institution, coun...
Keywords
Politics
Political crisis
Political science
Political economy
Business
Economics
Law

2025
Article


A Crisis of Political Trust? Global Trends in Institutional Trust from 1958 to 2019

A Crisis of Political Trust? Global Trends in Institutional Trust from 1958 to 2019

Abstract
Abstract In the study of politics, many theoretical accounts assume that we are experiencing a ‘crisis of democracy’, with declining levels of political trust. While some empirical studies support this account, others disagree and report ‘trendless fluctuations’. We argue that these empirical ambiguities are based on analytical confusion: whether trust is declining depends on the institution, coun...
Keywords
Politics
Political crisis
Political science
Political economy
Business
Economics
Law

2025
Article