Abstract
Political cynicism is a psychosocial feeling of distrust and dissatisfaction with politics and the establishment. In the current context, dominated by social and economic uncertainty, political cynicism is affecting how we engage with information and technology, promoting the preference for safe spaces in entertainment narratives that are available on streaming platforms. The main objective of this study was to analyse whether millennial and centennial viewers in Spain and Mexico consider that major studios, production companies, and audiovisual distributors are only concerned with their economic and political interests or whether they also feel a genuine interest in social or citizen causes when addressing certain narratives. To explore this, a quantitative study was conducted through two national surveys, one in Mexico and the other in Spain (n = 998), aimed at millennial and centennial populations. The findings show that participants in both countries feel a high level of political cynicism, particularly men, right-wing voters, and millennials, who demonstrate greater political cynicism than their counterparts. Besides, the study concludes that the high sense of political cynicism that seems to plunge young generations in Spain and Mexico into high levels of distrust is a consequence of a hyperconnected and overstimulated lifestyle.