Societal Trust

Starting July 2023, I occupy an endowed chair from the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen) and the Rudolf Agricola School of the University of Groningen. The aim of the chair is to develop our understanding of societal trust. This includes understanding what is currently undermining societal trust and creating positive visions for how to improve it. The chair is embedded in the Rudolf Agricola school at the University of Groningen, which focuses on the broad problem of how to develop a sustainable society. I lead an interdisciplinary research group on the topic of societal trust within this school. There is synergy with my involvement with the Public Participation Centre in Groningen and with the SCOOP project on Sustainable Cooperation.

Focal points are:

• The role of trust in disagreement and societal polarisation
• The effects of misinformation and disinformation on trust
• Trust in science, especially in relation to the problem of climate change.
• The role that new forms of public participation can play in building trust in the context of the climate crisis.