Capable but Unheard: Political Efficacy Configurations and Political Trust in Italy

How do internal and external political efficacy combine in relation to political trust? This article examines political trust through the established distinction between internal and external political efficacy, focusing on the configuration of relatively high internal efficacy and low external efficacy. Using Italian data from Round 11 of the European Social Survey, multi-item efficacy measures and survey-design-adjusted models, I examine trust in parliament, politicians and political parties. Lower external efficacy is strongly associated with lower political trust, and this association is moderately stronger at higher levels of internal efficacy. Four-cell predictions qualify the interpretation: respondents with higher internal efficacy are most trusting when they feel heard, but this trust advantage is not observed among those who feel unheard. The findings contribute a conditional efficacy perspective on political trust and representation.