Trust in official statistics across Europe: Evidence from two waves of Eurobarometer using multilevel models

Abstract

This paper uses data from Eurobarometer for the years 2007 and 2015 to investigate the determinants of trust in official statistics across 28 countries and 2 regions in Europe. Our estimation follows a multilevel modelling approach, which allows us to distinguish within-country and between-country variation in individual trust in official statistics. Our estimation results show that the within-country variation is mainly explained by individual-level statistical literacy and education, as well as occupational status. With respect to the variation between countries, we show that neither the level of GPD nor the index of inequality are important in explaining cross-country variation. Instead, EU membership history, i.e. the ‘acquis communautaire’, is the main macro variable that explains the increase in trust for the official statistics across Europe.