Trust How Citizens View Political Institutions

We seem to be living in an age of citizen distrust of social and political elites. Distrust is also seen to have numerous negative consequences for our civic and democratic life. Yet are western democracies really facing a crisis of trust?

This book provides an extensive and up-to-date review of one of the most important topics in contemporary political life. It explores the nature and condition of trust today by exploring three key issues. What do we mean by trust? How far are levels of trust in decline? How damaging are the consequences of low trust for effective democratic governance? Seyd also considers how trust arises, and which factors might explain the declines in trust witnessed recently in many countries. Providing evidence from many countries, Trust: How Citizens View Political Institutions pays particular attention to Britain, which has seen a marked decline in public regard for political elites, making the country a vital case for identifying the causes and effects of low trust. Combining conceptual and empirical analysis, the book provides a timely analysis of a central issue in contemporary political debate.

Ben Seyd, School of Politics and International Relations University of Kent

Dr Ben Seyd is in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent. His primary fields of interest and expertise are public opinion and political behaviour. His previous research has focused on political participation, electoral behaviour, public attitudes towards state actors and institutions, and citizen evaluations of democratic processes. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Trust Research and a convenor of the UK Political Studies Association's Political Psychology group.

Section One: What are we talking about? The nature and measurement of trust1. What is trust?2. Why focus on trust?3. Measuring trustSection Two: What is going on? Levels and causes of trust4. Is there a problem of trust?5. Why has trust declined?6. Why do citizens trust (or not)?Section Three: So what? The consequences of trust7. The effects of trust8. Conclusion