(Dis)Trust of Slovenians in political institutions: The views of politicians

The article examines the issue of political trust in Slovenia, noting its considerable importance for the democracy–political system relationship. A range of empirical data show Slovenia is one of those countries where structurally low political trust is part of a long-running trend of decline, or at best it fluctuates in a way that reveals no trends. Qualitative data gathered in interviews with 14 politicians from different political institutions, show that one can generally state with respect to trends of political trust, along with its importance and determinants, that Slovenia is similar to several other European countries, notably those in Central and Eastern Europe. It seems the performance perspective holds greater explanatory power than a critical citizen perspective. The findings of a cross-country survey and interviews conducted with politicians indicated many similarities among Slovenian citizens and politicians regarding these aspects, such as the importance of keeping one’s campaign promises and being honest. The interviews also emphasize the importance of politicians being perceived to act professionally and the influence of the media, together with differences in trust across institutions and governance levels, with local-level accessibility proving to be especially relevant.