Enhancing Institutional Trust: Evidence from an Experimental Study with Adolescents in Italy

This study presents a quantitative analysis of a randomized survey experiment with Italian high school students (N = 1,433). It aims to evaluate trust levels in various institutionshealthcare, education, politics, judiciary, and defense-and identify determinants infuencing trust in the scientifc feld, particularly regarding health issues. Using experimental scenarios, potential causal relationships among factors infuencing confdence and trust scores are explored. Three distinct experimental scenarios are included in the survey: the first examines the infuence of various social media platforms, the second and the third evaluate the impact of doctors, parents, and friends on trust-building among young individuals. Our results indicate a high level of trust in science among adolescents and emphasize high confdence in scientifc experts. The study provides policy insights aimed at fostering trust, including recommendations for investments in education, increased involvement of specialists in direct communication, and enhanced transparency measures to mitigate misinformation.