CITIZENS’ CONFIDENCE IN E.U. INSTITUTIONS AND STRATEGIES AGAINST COVID-19 DISINFORMATION: SYNERGY OR DIVERGENCE?

In the classical model of democracy, citizens’ attitudes and opinions on the political institutions play a fundamental role. This indicates how strong are the relationships between the society and the political/administrative sphere. In the actual context of globalization of information, construction of values, behaviours and ideas on public policies is a challenge for most people, and the European Union is an example in this sense. The article tries to analyse how the European people particularly perceive information on Covid-19 through the EU institutions. The citizens’ confidence in the EU strategies to tackle disinformation on Covid-19 can be considered an indicator for the contextual state of democracy at the EU level. In an ideal model of democracy, the accuracy of information contributes to the public opinion on governance. Trust in political institutions is crucial for the stability of societies and for the functioning of democracy in the European Union; it also shapes people’s willingness to cooperate in achieving collective goals and financing public goods. The Covid-19 crisis can be considered a veritable test for the civic engagement of people.