Social Trust, Political Ideology and Democratic Satisfaction in Europe
A Comparative Analysis 2002–2024
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22115147 |
|---|---|
| Authors | José A Lopez-Ruiz (0000-0002-7658-2428, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | m251302a01 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | methaodos revista de ciencias sociales (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2340-8413 • E-ISSN: 2340-8413 |
| Publisher | Methaodos.revista de ciencias sociales (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.17502/mrcs.v13i2.889 |
| OpenAlex | W4416252751 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
This article examines the impact of ideological polarization on generalized social trust and satisfaction with democracy in Europe using data from eleven rounds of the European Social Survey (2002–2024). The analysis adopts a comparative perspective across three regional blocs: southern European countries (EU South), the historical core of the EU (EU Core), and countries that joined after the 2004 enlargement (EU Enlarged). Non-parametric techniques and regression models are applied to explore three key dimensions: the temporal evolution of trust, the effects of political ideology, and the relationship between social trust and democratic support. The findings show that interpersonal trust has not uniformly declined across Europe; instead, divergent regional trajectories emerge: increasing trust in EU Enlarged, stability in EU South, and higher levels in the EU Core. Individuals at ideological extremes tend to exhibit different levels of trust and democratic satisfaction, though this varies significantly across regions. As a main contribution, empirical evidence confirms that social trust consistently predicts satisfaction with democracy, especially in countries with stronger democratic institutions. The study contributes to the understanding of the link between political polarization and social capital, highlighting the relevance of regional context in analyzing democratic legitimacy
Democracy · European Social Survey · Ideology · Interpersonal communication · Politics · Survey data collection · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Social Capital and Networks · Social Media and Politics
Uncivil Agreement
Handbook on Political Trust
In Praise of Skepticism
The Oxford Handbook of Social and Political Trust
The Moral Foundations of Trust
Personality, Ideology, Prejudice, and Politics
Welfare-state selectivity, universality, and social trust in Europe, 2002–2019
Methodological Aspects of Central Left-Right Scale Placement in a Cross-national Perspective
The Effect of Inequality on the Relation Between Socioeconomic Stratification and Political Trust in Europe
Patterns of Trust and Subjective Well-Being Across Europe
Changes in Inequality and Generalized Trust in Europe
Social Capital in Europe from 1990 to 2012
Affective Polarisation in Times of Political Instability and Conflict. Spain from a Comparative Perspective
Changing Mass Priorities
Trust, Social Capital, Civil Society, and Democracy
Political Trust and Trustworthiness
All for All
The Origins and Consequences of Affective Polarization in the United States
The Impact of Corruption on Regime Legitimacy
Disentangling the Causal Structure Between Social Trust, Institutional Trust, and Subjective Well-Being
Institutional Quality and Generalized Trust
| Highly cited | No |
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