When Recognition Backfires: The Effects of Place-Based Appeals on Attachment and Political Trust

Across Europe, widening spatial inequalities have created a growing geography of discontent. Governments have responded with territorial agendas promising to restore prosperity and dignity to “left behind” places. Yet when such appeals remain symbolic or unfulfilled, they risk deepening – rather than repairing – democratic disillusionment. Drawing on a preregistered survey experiment, this paper examines how territorial policy pledges shape political trust, place-based attachment, and resentment, and how these effects vary when promises are broken. We identify two mechanisms: recognition, through which place-focused appeals foster trust via symbolic inclusion; and disillusionment, in which unmet promises heighten the salience of place but erode trust in politics. The findings show how appeals to place-based identities intended to address spatial inequalities can backfire, as unfulfilled policy pledges inadvertently reinforce the grievances that sustain political disaffection.