The impact of the European debt crisis on trust in the media

Abstract

A comparative analysis of Eurobarometer ratings of trust in the media in European states, particularly Greece and Spain, between 2001 and 2016 shows that trust in the press, radio and television is closely linked with trust in the democratic institutions of the government and political parties in the respective countries. The present analysis furthermore investigates whether trust in the abovementioned media also depends on the development of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the states in question. However, evidence of such a link is only present in some countries, namely in those European states most strongly affected by the sovereign debt crisis, especially Greece and Spain. Here, the connection between the GDP development and the trust in press, radio and television is very strong, and particularly so after the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in 2009. In these states, a marked difference in trust in the press, radio and TV before and after the outbreak of the 2009 European debt crisis can be observed. Since the debt crisis, trust in these media has dropped significantly.