I don't think we can ignore the relationship between trust in government and belief in conspiracy theories.

I'm sort of hostile to the idea that civics education is much of a fix. I think rather than foisting the responsibility onto citizens, we should expect more from our government. MNAs offices, e.g., being more proactive and helpful would probably do a lot more than a new unit in high school to underline role of government and build trust.

I'm constantly telling people who are having difficult getting a passport or receiving benefits or regulating their immigration status to call up their MP — they're often dazzled by the idea that their local politician can actually pull levers and help them.

I've also had friends/colleagues/acquaintances who have had great experiences dealing with their local politicians' office, and who come away with a lot more faith in the system; vs. people who have a terrible experience (get ignored, brushed off, etc) who lose a lot of that faith.