As the main channel for information about institutions and their performance, the media have the potential to influence citizens’ perceptions of them. In recent decades, the media environment has undergone significant change, making different types of information readily available. At the same time, trust in public institutions has declined, weakening democracy and raising concerns about the
role of the media in the loss of institutional trust. We argue that in sub-Saharan Africa, where institutions are widely portrayed as underperforming, citizens’ exposure to the media can negatively affect their trust in those institutions. We explore the relationship between media exposure and institutional trust in developing countries using five rounds of Afrobarometer surveys in 35 sub Saharan African countries and secondary data from the World Development Indicators and the Quality of Governance database. Linear hierarchical regression and multilevel regression analyses at individual and country levels show a strong negative relationship between media exposure and institutional trust, though the effect varies across media types. Our findings point to strategies for strengthening institutional trust and legitimacy by improving the quality of governance and economic performance and stepping up the fight against corruption.
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