loading . . . Diverging associations of traditional versus social media with government trust Amid rising concerns about democratic backsliding and political polarization, institutional trust has become central to understanding democratic resilience. The functioning of representative democracy relies on citizens’ willingness to accept the legitimacy and authority of core institutions such as parliaments, political parties and the elected government, as well as civil servants, courts, and law enforcement (Dodsworth and Cheeseman, 2020; Ruscio, 1996; Warren, 2018). Conversely, citizens’ satisfaction with the work of state institutions reflects in institutional trust; it thereby reveals perceived democratic performance (Estlund and Landemore, 2018). Thereby, institutional trust is both a cornerstone and an indicator of democratic stability. Meanwhile, a growing body of literature suggests that decreasing institutional trust may be linked to broader challenges for deliberative democracy, including rising ideological and affective polarization in liberal democracies such as the US and European countries like Germany (Brady and Kent, 2022; Estadieu et al., 2025; Lenard, 2005; Spadaro et al., 2020; Torcal and Thomson, 2023; Twenge et al., 2014). Empirical studies link institutional trust to interpersonal social trust in societies (Sønderskov and Dinesen, 2016). The erosion of trust in institutions is associated with protest voting, support of extreme right-wing and populist parties (Hooghe et al., 2011), believing disinformation (Zimmermann and Kohring,... https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-026-08323-4
