Unhealthy Democracy? Self-evaluated Health and Political trust in Norway

The Norwegian welfare state consists of a wide range of welfare services that facilitate closer interaction between citizens and the political system compared to otherwise distant political institutions, where can evaluate if the political system indeed seem to attend to their needs and demands on a nearly daily basis. More generous welfare states are often associated with higher political trust. However, recent studies have shown that this trust varies among citizens depending on their health health situation (Mattila and Rapeli 2018). Thus, individuals with health issues seem to exhibit lower political trust despite generous welfare services. Is the relationship between self-evaluated health situation (SEHS) and political trust in Norway negative? And what may influence this relationship? Drawing on Norwe- gian panel data I will examine the relationship between SEHS and political trust, and possible moderating variables, from a longitudinal and cross-sectional angle. Results show modest indications of a negative relationship between SEHS and polit- ical trust between individuals, but more research is needed in order to conclude on the relationship for individuals over time