Disillusioning democracy

This book presents the Italian findings of the TRUEDEM (Trust in European Democracies) research project, an EU Horizon research project led by Christian Haerpfer (University of Vienna) and Pippa Norris (Harvard University). It offers a multi-perspective analysis of political trust in contemporary Italy, a highly topical subject given the democratic challenges facing the country. Italy is at a critical juncture. Voter abstention has reached historic levels, political instability has become endemic, and citizens are increasingly expressing disillusionment with democratic institutions. However, academic understanding of the dynamics underlying trust remains fragmented. This book fills that gap by providing the first comprehensive and empirically grounded analysis of political trust in Italy from the perspective of multiple stakeholders.
The research builds on Norris' influential work on sceptical trust, which posits that citizens in modern democracies increasingly base their political judgements on rational assessments of the competence, integrity and accountability of institutions, rather than on ideological loyalty or clientelistic exchange. This framework proves particularly illuminating for understanding the Italian case, where traditional party alliances have collapsed. The volume combines qualitative and quantitative approaches across four distinct target groups: political elites, civil society leaders, citizens, and the general population. Key topics include: how politicians and public officials perceive citizens' trust and their own reliability; the effectiveness of civil society organisations as intermediaries and guardians of democracy; the growing detachment of citizens from politics and their expectations for democratic innovation; the complex relationship between technocracy and political trust; and a quantitative analysis of perceived versus normative trustworthiness.
This volume is aimed at scholars and students of political science, sociology and European studies, as well as policymakers, journalists, and informed citizens interested in understanding the roots of democratic malaise in Italy and potential paths towards renewed civic engagement.

Domenico Maddaloni is full professor of Sociology at the University of Salerno, Department of Political and Communication Sciences. He is co-author of Trust and voter turnout in Europe. Results from the Horizon TRUEDEM research project (FrancoAngeli, 2025).