Does institutional trust influence citizens’ support for democracy? If institutional trust does indeed influence support for democracy, why is trust at such low levels in East Asian democracies? And, why is trust in the political system higher in many countries classified as partially free or not free? In order to answer these questions, this paper uses data from the second wave of the Asian Barometer Survey for thirteen counties. It compares political trust in democratic, semi-democratic, and undemocratic countries in the region. It then attempts to explain why institutional trust is higher in some countries and lower in others. Next, it carries out a theoretical discussion of the concepts of “critical citizens”, “economic performance”, and “electoral losers”. Finally, it investigates the relationship between institutional trust and support for democracy.
