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Political Trust

What citizens think threatens election integrity – and what actually does

April 29, 2026

Is trust learned or earned? Lessons from adolescents 

March 27, 2026

How the Trump-Zelensykyy Oval Office meeting shifted German views of the US

November 7, 2025

Why disillusioned citizens may back referendums in theory but not in practice

October 1, 2025

Is democracy being eroded from within?

June 18, 2025
January 15, 2025

System trust is key to explaining Covid-19 attitudes and behaviours

Louise Halberg Nielsen During the Covid-19 pandemic, many citizens put full faith in 'the system' to keep them safe. Others were inherently mistrustful. Louise Halberg Nielsen argues that such trust, or the lack of it, was a key source of pandemic-era political disagreement. Her research findings could help societies navigate future collective crises more effectively Read more
July 21, 2023

How income inequality threatens democracy

Simon Bienstman Income inequality threatens democracy by depressing trust in political institutions. To better understand why, Simon Bienstman, Svenja Hense, and Markus Gangl argue that we should pay attention to inequality’s negative effect on citizens’ evaluations of the democratic process Read more
October 28, 2022

🦋 How elections stifle democracy in Kenya

Reginald Oduor Reginald M.J. Oduor encourages more political theorists to disentangle themselves from the idea that democracy and elections are inextricably bound. Through this he seeks to promote the pursuit of genuine citizen participation in post-colonial states in Africa and elsewhere Read more
October 6, 2022

Military conscription is no antidote to the political apathy of new generations

Marco Giani Studying long-run patterns of public opinion in Europe shows that reintroducing compulsory national service would not counter the worrisome trend of declining trust in institutions among young generations. In fact, warns Marco Giani, the effect could be quite the opposite Read more
April 27, 2022

Coronavirus restrictions: fear is no substitute for trust

Ben Seyd Can policymakers expect people to comply with official health restrictions out of fear rather than because they trust the government? Ben Seyd suggests the answer is no. Governments still need trust to motivate citizens to comply with important collective rules. Read more

The Loop

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Advancing Political Science
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