Can open data increase younger generations' trust in democratic institutions? A study in the European Union

Scholars and policy makers are giving increasing attention to how young people are involved in politics and their confidence in the current democratic system. In a context of a global trust crisis in the European Union, this paper examines if open government data, a promising governance strategy, ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2021-01, Vol.16 (1), p.e0244994-e0244994
Main Authors: Gonzálvez-Gallego, Nicolás, Nieto-Torrejón, Laura
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age
Attitude
Biology and Life Sciences
Computer and Information Sciences
Cross-Sectional Studies
Democracy
Disclosure
Echo boom generation
Economic conditions
European Union
Expected utility
Female
Generation Z
Generations
Government
Government information
Great Recession
Humans
Information Dissemination
Institutions
Internet
Macroeconomics
Male
Millennials
Open data
People and Places
Political aspects
Politics
Psychological aspects
Science Policy
Social aspects
Social Sciences
Sovereign debt
Transparency
Trust
Trust (Psychology)
Young Adult
Young adults
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Summary:Scholars and policy makers are giving increasing attention to how young people are involved in politics and their confidence in the current democratic system. In a context of a global trust crisis in the European Union, this paper examines if open government data, a promising governance strategy, may help to boost Millennials' and Generation Z trust in public institutions and satisfaction with public outcomes. First, results from our preliminary analysis challenge some popular beliefs by revealing that younger generations tend to trust in their institutions notably more than the rest of the European citizens. In addition, our findings show that open government data is a trust-enabler for Millennials and Generation Z, not only through a direct link between both, but also thanks to the mediator role of citizens' satisfaction. Accordingly, public officers are encouraged to spread the implementation of open data strategies as a way to improve younger generations' attachment to democratic institutions.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0244994