The effect of the media in times of political distrust: the case of European countries

Vincenzo Memoli

doi:10.36253/qoe-9532

Abstract

No study has yet explored the effect of all communication tools on political trust. Instead, studies on the media and their relationship with trust in political institutions have tended to focus on just a few types and have yielded contradictory results. This study aims to fill this gap, considering – on the one hand – television, the press and radio, and – on the other – the Internet and online social networks. Given that forms of media inevitably suffer from political choice as well as the political system, we analyse the effect of the media on public political trust. Based on pool data gathered by Eurobarometers (2014–2017) and multi-level regression techniques, it is possible to state that, of the various forms of media, the press and the Internet have a very significant effect on public political trust, as does media freedom.

Highlights

In the last decades, the subject of political trust has attracted significant interest in the field of political science
Despite a large number of studies on the subject, the effects of the media on the political system need further investigation, as suggested by Gunther and Mughan (2000) who, in examining the nexus between the media and democracy, highlight a paradoxical situation: in countries in transition the media play a crucial role in promoting the democratic process whereas, in mass democracies, they scarcely contribute to improving the quality of democracy
Using information gathered by Eurobarometer, this paper looks at levels of political trust between 2014 and 2017, a difficult period for European governments and their institutions, as the Great Recession, globalisation and peak of the migrant crisis prompted harsh criticism of governments

Summary

Introduction

The subject of political trust has attracted significant interest in the field of political science. How do the media affect public political trust? Debates about the role of the mass media in promoting political culture and affecting political support have generated opposing theories. The media comprise a set of institutions that play the role of the ‘civic teacher’ in democratic societies (McComb, 2004), but some doubt persists as to their positive effect on democracy (Kellner, 2004). Despite a large number of studies on the subject, the effects of the media on the political system need further investigation, as suggested by Gunther and Mughan (2000) who, in examining the nexus between the media and democracy, highlight a paradoxical situation: in countries in transition the media play a crucial role in promoting the democratic process whereas, in mass democracies, they scarcely contribute to improving the quality of democracy. The media represent a ‘prerequisite for moulding the democratic quality of society’ (Dahlgren, 2009, p. 108), they appear to have failed to consolidate democracies (Kleinnijenhuis, van Hoof & Oegema, 2006) and, in the case of new media, have generated misguided mobs rather than an informed public (Viner, 2016)

Objectives

Results

Conclusion