Political interest is widely seen as a sign of democratic health.
This article theorizes that low trust in government leads to higher political interest, challenging the common assumption. To test these ideas against other explanations, researchers developed a measure called 'macrointerest' using a quarterly time series (1973-2014) of aggregated survey data on political engagement.
Key findings reveal:
- Political interest is positively linked to decreasing government trust.
- Trust issues prompt increased electoral monitoring and accountability demands.
This finding shows that democratic vitality can be strengthened, not weakened, by periods of low governmental confidence.
