New research shows trust in parliaments, governments, and political parties is declining globally.

The University of Southampton analysed over five million survey responses from 143 countries between 1958 and 2019.

While trust in elected bodies is falling, confidence in the police, civil service, and legal systems remains stable or rising. This indicates a crisis of confidence in elected representatives.

Dr Viktor Valgarðsson, the study's lead author, said: "The decline of public trust in political authorities is central to the challenges facing democratic governments in many countries today.

"Low political trust tends to be associated with support for populist parties and leaders who rail against the political establishment. It also makes it harder for governments to respond to crises such as climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.

"In the United States, trust in federal government has been in sharp decline over the past couple of decades and it is no coincidence that we are now seeing a dramatic assault on democratic institutions there, led by a candidate who was elected after promising to do exactly that."

The study was published in the British Journal of Political Science and funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and the Leverhulme Trust.