ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the conceptual and theoretical foundations for understanding trust and distrust in governance within contemporary democratic systems. It reflects critically on widespread concerns about the erosion of public trust in political institutions, while examining existing research limitations. The chapter advances understanding in three key areas. Firstly, it demonstrates how institutional trust and distrust coexist as distinct phenomena, challenging a monist approach that treats them as opposite ends of a single continuum. Secondly, it highlights the important but understudied role of institutional trustworthiness and its attributes in shaping citizens' trust and distrust. Thirdly, it proposes a relational approach examining trust and distrust as arising from the relationships between citizens and political institutions, and the mutual perceptions, experiences, and/or interactions they comprise. Drawing on comparative research across seven European countries, the chapter establishes an interdisciplinary framework integrating insights from political science, psychology, sociology, and media studies. It places the analyses within the unique context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which presented both methodological challenges and valuable opportunities for examining trust and distrust dynamics during times of crisis. The chapter concludes by outlining how the book's findings contribute to understanding similarities and differences in trust and distrust relationships across diverse democratic contexts.
