Over the past decade European citizens’ confidence in different political institutions has declined sharply. Using data from the Eurobarometer (2005-2018) and hierarchical modelling, the paper combines micro and macro characteristics to identify the importance of perceived corruption and austerity measures in this process. This paper documents that corruption is a significant determinant of trust in national governments in Europe, particularly in countries where austerity was more prominent. Additionally, results document that the effect was equally significant across subgroups of the sample, suggesting that the decline in political trust, even though not uniform across individuals, is not solely driven by individual socioeconomic outcomes.
01 December 2023 Matthew Davies1* , Muki Haklay2, Timothy Kiprutto3, Megan Laws4, Jerome Lewis5, Samuel Lunn-Rockliffe1, Jaqu...
