Abstract
This study examined the correlates and predictors of generalised (trust in the political system) and individualised (trust in a specific political actor) political trust in three surveys with representative samples from Latvia (total n = 3007), a post-Communist society with low overall levels of political trust. Trust in political system was robustly related to generalised trust (trust in people), life satisfaction, internal and external political efficacy, and (negatively) to political cynicism. In addition, it was positively related to the basic worldview of humanism, and negatively related to normativism. Trust in political party or individual politician was robustly related to the perceived economic utility associated with the political actor, and the perceived economic and social political orientation of the actor. The importance of basic personal values did not robustly predict either generalised or individualised political trust. The findings show that trust in political system and trust in specific political actors are largely determined by a different set of variables and represent different kinds of psychological reasoning. Generalised political trust can be seen as part of a general attitude towards ones country, whereas individualised trust is based in more situational factors and shaped through the mechanisms of person perception and group perception.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Political Trust, Political Cynicism, Generalised Trust, Humanism, Normativism
