Andrea FM Martinangeli (Université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas)

Are bad institutions necessarily bad for society? Institutional quality, external threats, and social trust

Venue: Campus Luigi Einaudi, room 3 D1 01

Abstract: Many studies have found a tentatively positive relationship between institutional trust and social trust (Herreros, 2023). Others indicate that political and social trust can diverge following an external shock (Aassve et al., 2024, Daniele et al., 2023). To unlock this puzzle, this project will investigate the causality between perceived institutional quality and social trust in times of crisis. We conduct an online survey experiment where respondents are primed with a crisis scenario based on a recent extreme natural event. The latter serves as a real-world stimulus that induces feelings of threat and anxiety from an unexpected shock. Subsequently, we will provide information treatments to activate a mental frame of either effective or ineffective institutions. This approach will enable us to test whether external shocks can indeed drive a wedge between social and institutional trust.