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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

West European Politics @wepsocial.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

🤔 Is having no trust in politics the same as distrusting it? Matthijs Gillissen, @silkegoubin.bsky.social, Viktor Valgarðsson & @stevenvdwalle.bsky.social survey 12,000 people across 8 European countries: distrust is its own attitude that common trust scales easily miss. 🔗 doi.org/10.1080/0140...

Description of the article "Political trust revisited: theoretical and empirical insights into political distrust and mistrust" by Matthijs Gillissen, Silke Goubin, Viktor Valgarðsson and Steven Van de Walle, published online first in West European Politics.

Figure 3. Conceptual diagram of a two-dimensional view of political trust, with trust and distrust drawn as crossing axes. The four quadrants are labelled blind distrusters, mistrusters, indifferent ambivalence and blind trusters.

Figure 5. Line plot of average responses to five trust, three mistrust and three distrust items for each of four latent classes. The classes are spread widely apart on the trust items but converge on the mistrust items, with one class scoring lowest on trust and highest on distrust and another sitting near the midpoint throughout.

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

@gdagostino.bsky.social, @hannesbey.bsky.social, @cvalebeek.bsky.social, @frankgootjes.bsky.social, @mfair.bsky.social, @miroslavnemcok.bsky.social, Koen Verhoest, Ben Seyd, Sonja Zmerli, and many other colleagues from Oslo, Leuven, Amsterdam, Duisburg, Antwerpen and other places. (/10)

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

We've presented this paper on various occasions and received plenty of feedback along the way - thanks for critically engaging with our work @tomwgvdmeer.bsky.social, @ldeblok.bsky.social, @staffankumlin.bsky.social, @lindestals.bsky.social, @dieterstiers.bsky.social, @twanhuijsmans.bsky.social (9/)

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

By collapsing trust and distrust into a single continuum, commonly used survey questions overlook important differences in how citizens judge their political institutions. (8/)

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Similarly, someone who has confidence that political institutions will beneficially serve society is not necessarily someone lack expectations of those institutions functioning to harmful ends. (7/)

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

🧠 The implication? Someone who lacks trust in political institutions is not necessarily someone who actively expects those institutions to behave dishonestly or against citizens’ interests. (6/)

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

We find that political trust and distrust are indeed better captured as concepts that are related and distinct. At the same time, the evidence that political mistrust constitutes a third distinct attitude is considerably weaker. (5/)

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

We use survey data from almost 12,000 people across eight European countries, through adapting the proposed ‘political trust family approach’ of @drjennings.bsky.social , @danjdevine.bsky.social and TRUSTGOV colleagues, and drawing from @eribertsou.bsky.social's seminal work on distrust. (4/)

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

📄Political (dis)trust is mostly measured on a single scale: the less trust people report in political institutions, the more distrustful they are assumed to be. In this paper, we take a step back and ask whether trust and distrust could instead be understood as being related and distinct. (3/)

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

In this paper, which also is the first article of @mjjgillissen.bsky.social's dissertation, and was developed together with @viktorv.bsky.social and @stevenvdwalle.bsky.social, we set out to investigate to what degree distrust can be distinguished from trust (2/)

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

🚨New publication out! If citizens have no trust in their political institutions, does that necessarily mean that they distrust them? Or does this assumption obscure aspects of how citizens judge and relate to their state? Very happy to see this one out! (1/) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

Political trust revisited: theoretical and empirical insights into political distrust and mistrust

There remains a lack of clarity about what low political trust precisely entails. Based on long-standing discussions, recent works have sought to verify the existence of distinct political trust at...

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

"We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting individuals in different ways" - Sommige automatische replies mogen toch ook eens aangepast worden 😅

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I am glad to report that so far more students of Ghent signed a petition against Cofnas' coming to Ghent; than academics that have signed this somewhat ludicrous open letter. www.change.org/p/stop-the-h.... He was not sacked for whistleblowing - he is suspended because he's a racist, etc.

change.org

2,213 people signed and won this petition

Stop the hiring of Nathan Cofnas at Ghent University

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

2 months later, and with a temperature uptick of 20°C, I left Grenoble with plenty of warmth and encouragement. Un grand merci à Sonja Zmerli for being such an example and terrific hostess ♥️ au revoir!

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Beyond local suppliers, just think of the innovations and start-ups that will not be created now, which are yet another reason why cities such as Leuven, Ghent or Grenoble are thriving... By these austerity measures, the UK is killing one of its most "productive" sectors...

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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

Voting & Democracy Research Group - KU Leuven @vd-researchgroup.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

📣 PhD vacancy in voting behavior - only 2 weeks left to apply! Will you become our new colleague? 🤗 All info is here 👉 www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...

kuleuven.be

1 doctoraatspositie in kiesgedrag

1 PhD position to research how parties build connections with social groups

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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

Voting & Democracy Research Group - KU Leuven @vd-researchgroup.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Last week was another full one for our team as we headed to #EPSS in Belfast. Great talks, sharp discussions, and genuinely valuable feedback all around. Thanks to @epssnet.bsky.social for an excellent first conference. Copenhagen, we’re coming for you next year! 🌟

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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

Lauren Dobson-Hughes @ldobsonhughes.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Musk says not a single person has died due to him axing USAID. Sadly, part of my job involves tracking aid spending. So here’s a thread with just some of the people who lost their lives because of USAID cuts

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Leuven will be well represented at the inaugural @epssnet.bsky.social - do join one of our panels or reach out to grab a coffee !

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Eigenlijk zijn we nog best goed georganiseerd in Leuven ;-) Bij Sociale Wetenschappen werkt het ook zo. Waanzin dat iederee docent zijn/haar eigen systeem op poten moet zetten, dat lijkt me erg inefficiënt en leidt tot ongelijkheden... courage!

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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

Claes de Vreese @claesdevreese.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

(Google) AI kills referral traffic to media and journaliste sites. There is a surge in time spent on AI services, but it leads to ZERO clicks. Not just less than regular search, but zero! Result just out in new report from Danish Media Association. #dkmedier #journalism dpcmo.dk/app/uploads/...

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Ik ben natuurlijk gebiast als voormalig gast en politicoloog! Je opmerking past voor mij in de bredere vraag over hoe dominant de host in de Afspraak kan zijn (meer American style, of meer journalistiek). Ik ben meer fan van het laatste, en in dat opzicht is vertrek Schols een opportuniteit 😉

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

"Volgens zijn woordvoerder ‘herinnert hij zich niets meer van de hele zaak’" www.standaard.be/media-en-cul...

standaard.be

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Ik mis Phara nog steeds! Sinds zij weg is kijk ik veel minder (m.u.v. Afpsraak op Vrijdag, uiteraard)...

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Oh the irony, the @ec.europa.eu's webpage on tackling disinformation and the European's Democracy Shield links to... X... (and X as ónly social media platform). The company is not even a signatory of The 2022 Code of Practice on Disinformation...

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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

Ingrid Robeyns @ingridrobeyns.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Prediction (admittedly, an easy one): In the next two weeks, the world will have its first trillionaire. That is, someone who holds at least $ 1,000,000,000,000. What's worse, the guy is power-obsessed and dangerous in many ways. We need to curb the power and tax away the wealth.

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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

Joris Frese @fresejoris.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

This is a great study and (one of?) the first of its kind! A note of caution from a human contributor though: given the slow academic publishing process, the findings should primarily be interpreted as a snapshot of AI capabilities (and the capabilities of researchers using AI) in 2024. (1/4)

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Blauwe verf! Ook voor diegene die legislatuurparlementen een goed idee vond... ;-)

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Het is echt een te vaak gebruikt dreigement geworden in regeringskringen, met Bouchez en De Wever op kop ("als we dit niet krijgen dat stappen we eruit"). Dat gezegd zijnde: een terechte kritiek van Anders op de PS... Niet dat ik als liberaal nog veel stekkers uit regeringen zou trekken😉

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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

Reto Mitteregger @indubioproreto.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

In most advanced democracies, newer generations and younger citizens are less likely to vote. In this new paper, Thomas Jocker (@uva.nl) and I ask *why* this is the case. We try to answer this question by analyzing the answers that *non-voters themselves* give to this question 👇

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Do They Want, Can They, and Have They Been Asked? Generational Differences in Reasons for Non‐Voting in Switzerland

In many advanced democracies, newer generations and younger citizens are less likely to vote than earlier generations and older individuals. However, despite this being an established empirical matte...

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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

Bram De Ridder @bramderidder.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

De oude afkortingen KUL en RUG blijken al een tijdje weer van toepassing: KleuterUniversiteit Leuven en RelUniversiteit Gent. www.standaard.be/natuur-en-we...

standaard.be

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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

Relmans @krisremels.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

VRT blijkt nu ook cijfers over Maarten Boudry te censureren: interne emails tonen aan dat Boudry in 93% van zijn televisieoptredens geen toegevoegde waarde bracht. De overige 7% bracht enkel toegevoegde waarde aan de Israëlische lobby.

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

looking forward to hearing more about it during our joint CES panel!

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

My view for the next two months 😍 I'm visiting Sonja Zmerli at @sciencespo-grenoble.fr ! We'll collaborate on inequality concerns, social policy preferences and trust under the framework of her ERC consolidator grant (www.polinequal.eu). If you're passing by, do reach out! ☕

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

'T is nekeer iets anders, met je papa presenteren 🎙️ We vulden een uur met inzichten over #vertrouwen in de overheid en hoe je daar als overheid iets aan kunt doen via inclusieve communicatie. Een duetje Goubin & Goubin dankzij @kortomvzw.bsky.socials jaarlijkse congres.

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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

The electoral decline of social democratic parties is a well-studied phenomenon. If you want to understand what is happening to Labour, I recommend this (open access) edited volume by the world's leading scholars on this question. Other countries have elections, too. doi.org/10.1017/9781009496810

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Interested in political #distrust? Come join us tomorrow online for the following webinar! @mjjgillissen.bsky.social and I will (try to) summarize 3 years of work on how trust and distrust are empirically distinct, and how this results into different drivers and political consequences!

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

We've had a very similar experience when introducing voting for 16 years old in Belgium for EP elections. Btw, the way its introduction being politicised in the UK is just awful.

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Doet me altijd aan het volgende denken... www.denktankminerva.be/analyse/2025...

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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

Petter Törnberg @pettertornberg.com · 22/04/2026

Is social media dying? How much did Twitter change as it became X? Which party now dominates the conversation? Using nationally representative ANES data from 2020 & 2024, I map how the U.S. social media landscape has changed Here are the key take-aways 🧵 Full paper out now in in JQD:DM!

journalqd.org

Shifts in U.S. Social Media Use, 2020–2024: Decline, Fragmentation, and Enduring Polarization | Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media

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Reposted by Dr. Silke Goubin

The Politics of Inequality @excinequality.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Looking back on #InequalityConference2026: inspiring keynotes, the In_equality Research Award, engaging talks, fresh insights from the satellite program, and a vibrant social program in Konstanz. Thanks to everyone who joined us-we’re already looking forward to the next conference! @uni-konstanz.de

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

initial results: current theories are much better at explaining political reactions to income inequalities than wealth inequalities. At first sight, the latter are much less consistently associated with political disparities (but many more analyses to be done!)...

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Dr. Silke Goubin @silkegoubin.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Throwback to last week's #InequalityConference2026 where @mjjgillissen.bsky.social and I presented ongoing work on how income and wealth inequalities reshape socio-economic disparities in political participation. Thanks @excinequality.bsky.social for the wonderful programme!

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