Political Disengagemen t and Trust in Europe

1 Do patterns of engagement and trust differ across countries? And what about between different generations? We've analysed data from all six waves of the European Social Survey (a cross- national survey that is conducted every two years across Europe) between 2002 and 2012 to try and answer these questions.

2 Trust and engagement There is a link between trust and political participation. In 2012, countries that reported the highest levels of trust in politicians, like Sweden, tended to have higher rates of participation in political and social activities (e.g., signing a petition, joining a protest or political party, etc.).

3 However, this isn't universal - participation also clearly seems to be related to political, social and economic circumstances within a country.

4 CountryParticipated in at least 1 pol act? Iceland83.91% Sweden74.39% Finland67.64% Germany67.31% Norway67.12% Spain57.23% Denmark56.91% Switzerland54.79% Netherlands46.23% Belgium45.75% United Kingdom45.01% Ireland41.25% Israel35.96% Czech Republic34.00% Kosovo29.65% Cyprus28.41% Slovakia27.99% Estonia25.46% Poland22.29% Russian Federation18.92% Portugal18.04% Slovenia17.98% Bulgaria15.66% Source: European Social Survey, 2012

5 Country Signed petition last 12 month Iceland 56.4% Sweden 43.6% Norway 35.4% Germany 34.9% Switzerland 34.1% Spain 33.2% United Kingdom 32.1% Denmark 25.0% Finland 23.7% Ireland 23.6% Netherlands22.2% Belgium 20.6% Slovakia 20.0% Czech Republic 18.9% Israel 13.4% Cyprus 10.8% Poland 10.4% Kosovo9.9% Estonia 9.6% Bulgaria7.9% Slovenia 7.5% Portugal 7.5% Russian Federation 6.0% Source: European Social Survey, 2012

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7 Trust in national governments and parliaments and in the European Union A closer look at the data shows that there are some common characteristics between countries with more disengaged and less trusting populations. Mistrust of governments and politicians is higher in countries that have faced recent economic and social turmoil (e.g., Cyprus) as well as former Eastern Bloc countries (e.g., Poland) with only a few decades of modern democracy under their belts.

8 Country Trust in country's parliament Norway6.2 Switzerland6.1 Denmark6.1 Sweden5.9 Finland5.9 Netherlands5.2 Belgium5 Germany4.8 United Kingdom4.2 Iceland4.2 Israel 4.1 Estonia3.9 Ireland3.6 Spain 3.4 Cyprus3.3 Russian Federation3.3 Czech Republic3.1 Slovakia3.1 Kosovo3.1 Slovenia 2.9 Poland2.9 Portugal2.5 Bulgaria2.1 Source: European Social Survey, 2012

9 Country Trust in politicians Switzerland5.2 Denmark5.3 Netherlands 5.1 Norway 5.1 Finland 4.8 Sweden 4.7 Belgium4.3 Iceland 3.8 Germany 3.7 United Kingdom 3.6 Estonia3.2 Israel 3.1 Ireland 3.1 Russian Federation2.9 Slovakia 2.7 Czech Republic 2.5 Cyprus 2.5 Slovenia2.2 Poland 2.2 Kosovo2.1 Spain 1.9 Portugal 1.7 Bulgaria1.7 Source: European Social Survey, 2012

10 Trust in institutions in Europe Over the six waves of the European Social Survey ( ), trust in politicians and political and social institutions has generally declined. In 2010, in the immediate wake of the global recession, levels of trust in parliaments, legal systems and politicians reached their lowest points. Levels of trust increased slightly in 2012.

11 Trust in institutions across Europe Source: European Social Survey, 2012

12 Trust in European institutions Source: Eurobarometer: Public Opinion in the European Union: First Results. European Commission: Brussels, December 2013

13 Does my voice count in the EU? The Eurobarometer surveys also show that Europeans have become more likely to think that their voice does not count in the EU. While in 2004, 52% of respondents felt their voice did not matter in the EU, this increased to 66% in 2013.

14 Does my voice count in the EU? Source: Eurobarometer: Public Opinion in the European Union: First Results. European Commission: Brussels, December 2013

15 What can be done to remedy decline in trust and participation? The recent British Social Attitudes Survey shows the public want their elected representatives to take some decisions for them, but want a say on big, ethical and democratic questions.

16 Referenda on local issues Source: NatCen Social Research, British Social Attitudes, 2011

Give more power to the EU? Source: NatCen Social Research, British Social Attitudes, 2011

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