On December 5–6, 2025, CEVIPOF/Sciences Po’s Center for Political Research – hosted a major international conference titled “Political Trust: A Challenge for Democracies.” Bringing together researchers from across Europe and North America, the event explored the causes, consequences, and possible remedies to the crisis of trust that increasingly undermines democratic systems today.

Through keynote lectures, panel discussions, and the presentation of CEVIPOF’s Political Trust Barometer, the conference engaged political scientists in a shared reflection on a central question: how can democratic legitimacy be renewed in an age of populism, distrust, and digital transformation?

A rich, cross-disciplinary dialogue sought to deepen our understanding of political trust and to envision new paths toward a more resilient democracy.

Many thanks to our speakers :

• Yann Algan – HEC Paris (Discutant, session en français)
• Eri Bertsou – University of St. Gallen
• Damien Bol – CEVIPOF
• Bruno Cautrès – CEVIPOF
• Daniel Devine – University of Southampton
• Kate Dommett – University of Sheffield
• Alexandre Escudier – CEVIPOF (Président de séance)
• Marc Hooghe – University of Louvain
• Piero Ignazi – CEVIPOF (Discutant)
• Gilles Ivaldi - CEVIPOF (Discutant)
• Will Jennings – University of Southampton
• Karolina Koc-Michalska – Audencia Business School (Présidente de séance)
• Romain Lachat – CEVIPOF (Discutant)
• Annabelle Lever – CEVIPOF
• Yascha Mounk – Johns Hopkins University (Keynote speaker)
• Anne Muxel – CEVIPOF (Présidente du colloque en français)
• Michael Bang Petersen – Aarhus University
• Bernard Reber – CEVIPOF
• Myriam Revault d’Allonnes – CEVIPOF
• Luc Rouban – CEVIPOF
• Ben Seyd – University of Kent
• Vivien Schmidt – Boston University (Keynote speaker)
• James Weinberg – University of Sheffield

This event was organized by CEVIPOF with Audencia Business School.

Thanks to Caroline BLEUX & Katia JOUFFRE LAFARGUE for the pictures.