The crisis of trust in institutions and its consequences to the quality of democracy in the framework of the European Social Survey

The article aims to capture the findings of the 5th round of the European Social Survey (ESS) on the citizens' trust in the representative institutions in Greece and to compare them with the surveys' results of previous rounds in which our country participated. In addition to longitudinal compilation, the results of the ESS' survey (2011) are compared with corresponding surveys on trust in institutions. The findings of all surveys reveal a general lack of confidence among Greek citizens in institutions such as politicians, parties, and the national and European Parliament, which is more intense in times of economic crisis.