Could an individual’s perception of the possibility of a future ecological crisis be linked to their level of political trust? Studies of environmental attitudes have identified political trust as an important predictor of support for environmental taxation or risk perceptions surrounding specific local environmental hazards, but less is known about its role when environmental risks are perceived as diffuse and distant. Using original survey data from Ecuador, this article finds that political distrust predicts heightened ecological crisis perceptions and that higher educational attainment intensifies this relationship. A follow-up analysis of the AmericasBarometer’s Ecuador survey shows that political distrust also predicts higher concern about climate change. These findings suggest that when evaluations of political institutions reflect perceptions of environmental risks, individuals blame the government for environmental failures. The implications of this study are particularly relevant for political institutions in developing economies, where the public sector often spearheads development efforts.

个人对未来生态危机可能性的看法是否与其政治信任水平有关？对环境态度的研究表明，政治信任是支持环境税或对当地特定环境危害的风险认知的重要预测因素，但当环境风险被认为是分散和遥远时，人们对其作用知之甚少。本文利用厄瓜多尔的原始调查数据发现，政治不信任预示着生态危机认知的增强，而较高的教育程度则强化了这种关系。对美洲晴雨表厄瓜多尔调查的后续分析显示，政治不信任也预示着人们对气候变化的担忧会更高。这些发现表明，当对政治机构的评估反映了对环境风险的看法时，个人就会将环境失败归咎于政府。这项研究的意义对于发展中经济体的政治机构尤其重要，因为这些国家的公共部门往往带头推动发展工作。