Rethinking the Trust-Innovation Nexus in Central and Eastern Europe: Social or Institutional Trust?

Institutional trust is widely regarded as a key determinant of economic performance and innovation capacity. However, how different forms of trust influence innovative attitudes at the individual level remains insufficiently understood. This study reexamines the trust-innovation nexus by analyzing the roles of social trust, institutional trust, and public protection capacity in shaping innovation attitudes in CEECs. Using data from the 2023 ESS covering 9,685 individuals across nine countries, the study employs logit and probit models. The findings show that social trust encourages innovative attitudes, whereas trust in political and public protection capacity is negatively associated with them.