Caught in the Nexus: A Comparative and Longitudinal Analysis of Public Trust in the Press

TLDR

Despite evidence of declining press trust in many Western countries, global trends remain poorly understood. This study investigates national press trust levels and the factors that drive differences across societies and individuals over time. The authors analyze comparative survey data from the World Values Survey and European Values Study. The decline in media trust is not universal—only about half of countries show it, with the United States experiencing the largest drop—and political trust emerges as a key factor, forming a trust nexus that links media trust to perceptions of political institutions, a relationship that is stronger in polarized societies, growing over time, and may be driven by public sentiment against elites.

Abstract

Despite signs of declining press trust in many western countries, we know little about trends in press trust across the world. Based on comparative survey data from the World Values Survey (WVS) and European Values Study (EVS), this study looks into national levels of trust in the press and identifies factors that drive differences across societies and individuals as well as over time. Findings indicate that the widely noted decline in media trust is not a universal trend; it is true for only about half of the studied countries, with the United States experiencing the largest and most dramatic drop in trust in the press. Political trust has emerged as key factor for our understanding of trust in the press. We found robust evidence for what we called the trust nexus—the idea that trust in the news media is strongly linked to the way publics look at political institutions. The link between press trust and political trust was considerably stronger in politically polarized societies. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that the relation between press trust and political trust is becoming stronger over time. We reason that the strong connection between media and political trust may be driven by a growing public sentiment against elite groups.