Stable Trust in Chaotic Times: An Exploratory Analysis of Trust in Public Service Media Before and During Polycrisis

A body of research has explored trust in the media, yet the reasons behind its stability in times of crisis remain unclear. This study examines whether stable trust in public service media (PSM) reflects continuity in the selected drivers of the trust or whether crises alter these effects, with some factors enhancing trust and others diminishing it, effectively balancing each other out. Drawing on three representative cross-sectional surveys from the Czech Republic (2019, 2020, and 2022), we analyze how socio-economic, media-related, and socio-political correlates of trust in Czech Television—the national PSM—evolved before and during overlapping crises, specifically the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Despite considerable turbulence, the effects of individual variables remained largely stable. This suggests that trust in PSM may be diffuse in nature—anchored both in long-term experience and perceived public value. The findings contribute to the understanding of trust in PSM under conditions of societal disruption.