‘Maltrust’: understanding trust in illiberal contexts

Political trust is often treated as a democratic asset. In backsliding regimes, however, it can shield contested institutions from accountability. This article introduces maltrust: normatively insulated confidence in institutions whose procedural commitments are disputed. Using national survey data from Turkey, it examines trust in the Supreme Election Council (YSK). Liberal-democratic commitments predict lower trust among opposition supporters but not among government supporters, whose confidence remains comparatively high. The findings suggest that trust can become detached from procedural evaluation and provide partisan insulation for contested institutions, thereby helping sustain democratic backsliding.