Citizens and the public perception of lobbying

Do Regulation and Trust in Political Institutions Make a Difference

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6428700
AutoresAlberto Bitonti (0000-0003-4905-0239, Università della Svizzera italiana, autor de correspondencia), Giulia Mugellini (0000-0002-8213-4250, Università della Svizzera italiana), Claudia Mariotti (0000-0002-7688-9841, Roma Tre University), Mary Francoli (0000-0001-5707-2564, Carleton University), Jean-Patrick Villeneuve (0000-0002-1164-7497, Università della Svizzera italiana)
Año2025
Volumen14
Número3
Páginas270-297
Fecha de publicación2025-03-05
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInterest Groups & Advocacy (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2047-7414 • E-ISSN: 2047-7422
EditorialPalgrave Macmillan (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1057/s41309-025-00237-x
PMID40927702
OpenAlexW4408219847
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas49

In political studies, lobbying is portrayed as a vital process of political participation, contributing information, policy capacities, and political capital to policymaking, but also as a potential source of representation biases, undue influence, and policy capture. Given such Janus-faced nature of lobbying within democracy, the primary aim of this article is to investigate which perception prevails among citizens empirically. By analysing the primary data of two surveys of 4000 Canadian and 1600 Swiss citizens, it investigates the public perception of lobbying across countries with contrasting institutional and regulatory frameworks and different levels of trust in political institutions. Results show that citizens’ perception of lobbying differs in the two contexts, being predominantly negative in Switzerland and positive in Canada. Additionally, Swiss citizens are significantly more likely than Canadians to view lobbying as inadequately regulated. Both trust in political institutions and the perception that lobbying is properly regulated have a significant and positive impact on the perception of lobbying. Interestingly, despite Switzerland’s higher levels of trust in political institutions than Canada, this trust does not translate into a more positive perception of lobbying, suggesting that robust regulations may play a more decisive role than institutional trust in shaping public perceptions

Perception · Political communication · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Law · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Psychology · Public Administration · Public Policy and Administration Research