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“In this must-read book, Martin provides the freshest take that I’ve seen on political trust in decades.” Marc Hetherington, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill </p>

The idea that a wave of distrust has swept over established democracies in recent years is commonly accepted. This book presents a contrary view. Drawing on various datasets, it reveals a disconnect between the popular commentary and the empirical reality.

The Trust Gap suggests that the most extreme cases — such as the US and the UK — distort our thinking about trust. It looks beyond trust in government to examine trust in a range of institutions, including courts, universities and the media. In doing so, it suggests that while countries such as the US do face a crisis of trust, many established democracies demonstrate resilience rather than vulnerability.

Using the framework of trust gaps, this book offers a stocktake on the state of trust in the 21st century, contributing a more nuanced and hopeful account than the headlines suggest.

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Introduction: Dissecting the ‘Crisis Of Trust’

1. Why Institutional Trust Matters

2. Trust Gap One: Who We Trust and Who We Don’t

3. Trust Gap Two: Who Trusts?

4. Trust Gap Three: How High Quality of Government/High Trust Countries Make Policy Work

5. Trust Gap Four: Trust in the Media Versus Trust in Experts

6. Bridging Trust Gaps

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• Comprehensive coverage of political and institutional trust around the world;

• Provides a contrarian view of trust by showing that trust has not declined precipitously in most established democracies;

• Written in an accessible way that avoids technical jargon and specialised language.

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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781529255591
Publisert
2026-05-05
Utgiver
Bristol University Press
Høyde
234 mm
Bredde
156 mm
Aldersnivå
UP, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
166

Forfatter

Biografisk notat

Aaron Martin is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of two books, Young People and Politics and, with Keith Dowding, Policy Agendas in Australia, and has published widely on public opinion and political behaviour.