What determines political trust among young Moroccans? : A comparative cross-cohort study of objective deprivation, relative deprivation, and support for democracy

Given the recent Gen-Z 212 protests in Morocco, has political trust among young Moroccans changed since the last major protest wave? The paper examines whether political trust has changed among young Moroccans between 2013 and 2024, as these cohorts reflect different political socialization contexts. Since factors such as objective deprivation, relative deprivation, and support for democracy are argued to affect political trust, the study will examine whether these determinants vary across cohorts and whether they explain differences in trust levels. A comparative cross-cohort design was employed, using survey data from the Afrobarometer, for the bivariate and multivariate OLS regression analyses. This study found that the determinants varied, although political trust remained low and unchanged across cohorts. Contrary to what this paper expected, only economic hardship appeared to be a telling objective indicator affecting the cohort’s political trust. However, relative deprivation was found tobe the most meaningful indicator across cohorts, though it was slightly more pronounced in 2024. Interestingly, support for democracy appeared to be only an indicative indicator for the 2024 youth cohort. Thus, this may imply pervasive low political trust being shaped by subjective perception and a possible generational shift in the factors underlying it among Moroccan youth.