Welcome to the Critical Trust project

An academic research project dedicated to the study of trust and political trust in an international setting.

The International Trust Study

Many citizens from eight different countries have already participated in our survey. The study started in May 2025 and will complete at the beginning of next year (2026), constituting three waves.

Participants

22,632

per country

~ 3,100

Countries

8

Waves fielded

1 out of 3

Trust & Democracy

We study how trust, distrust, and skepticism regarding politics help improve or change democracy.

Opinion of politics over time

We study to what extent the opinion of citizens on politics is fixed or fluctuating.

Trust based on regional experiences

We study how life in regions and neighborhoods could be important for trust

About us

We are a team of researchers from the University of Amsterdam, led by Tom van der Meer

A team of researchers investigates different aspects of political trust. The results of the research will be published and presented. Click here to learn more.

For questions and contact, use: info@criticaltrust.eu