Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Journals name baner

No. 2(13) (2020)

Z warsztatu socjologów

Political trust and social capital in European countries

Published: 2020-12-31

Abstract

Trust facilitates the development of human relations by enabling effective cooperation and preventing conflicts, it is an important element of a particular kind of capital, called social capital. The implications of trust on social life are very far reaching and for that reason trust is one of the central issues in contemporary sociology and other social sciences. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between social capital and political trust, both on the individual level and on the country level. For this purpose a linear regression model was calculated, using data from the ninth round of the European Social Survey (ESS). Te results showed that social capital, measured by an indicator of generalized trust, has a statistically significant, positive impact on political trust. This impact however was a lot weaker than the impact of satisfaction with the performance of the political system or the evaluation of its inclusiveness. On the country level a strong, positive corelation between generalized trust and political trust has been observed. These results are in line with the previous research, it may be concluded that social capital, particularly generalized trust as its core component, has a positive influence on political trust on the individual and cross-country level.

References

  1. Adler Paul, Kwon Seok-Woo (2002), Social capital: Prospects for a new concept, „Academy of Management Review”, 27 (1). [Google Scholar]
  2. Algan Yann, Cahuc Pierre (2010), Inherited trust and growth, „The American Economic Review”, 100 (5). [Google Scholar]
  3. Allum Nick, Patulny Roger, Sturgis Patrick (2010), Re-evaluating the Links Between Social Trust, Institutional Trust and Civic Association, w: John Stillwell, Paul Norman (red.), Social and Spatial Disparities, Springer. [Google Scholar]
  4. Bauer Paul, Freitag Markus (2017), Measuring Trust, w: Eric Uslaner (red.), Oxford Handbook of Social and Political Trust, New York: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]
  5. Bedyńska Sylwia, Cypryańska Marzena (red.) (2012), Drogowskaz Statystyczny, t. 3, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Akademickie SEDNO. [Google Scholar]
  6. Beugelsdijk Sjoerd, Van Schaik Ton (2005), Differences in Social Capital between 54 Wester European Regions, „Regional Studies”, 49. [Google Scholar]
  7. Bovens Mark, Anchrit Wille (2012), The education gap in participation: A rejoinder, „Acta Politica”, 47. [Google Scholar]
  8. Caroll Michael, Stanfield James (2003), Social Capital, Karl Polanyi, and American Social and Institutional Economics, „Journal of Economic Issues”, 2 (37). [Google Scholar]
  9. Catterberg Gabriela, Moreno Alejandro (2005), The Individual bases of political trust: Trends in new and established democracies. „International Journal of Public Opinion Research”, 18 (1). [Google Scholar]
  10. Coleman James (1988), Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital, „American Journal of Sociology”, 94. [Google Scholar]
  11. Delhey Jan, Newton Kenneth (2005), Predictin Cross-National Levels of Social Trust: Global Pattern or Nordic Exceptionalism? „European Sociological Review”, 21 (4). [Google Scholar]
  12. Easton David (1975), A Re-Assessment of the concept of Political Support, „British Journal of Political Science”, 5 (4). [Google Scholar]
  13. Gabriel Oscar, Walter-Rogg Melanie (2008), Social Capital and Political Trust, w: Heiner Meulemann (red.), Social Capital in Europe: Similarity of Countries and Diversity of People? t. 16. [Google Scholar]
  14. Grootaert Christian (1998), Social Capital: The missing link? „Social Capital Initiative working papers”, 3. [Google Scholar]
  15. Grootaert Christian, Van Bastelar Thierry (2002), Understanding and measuring social capital: A multidisciplinary tool for practitioners, Washington D.C.: The World Bank Group. [Google Scholar]
  16. Glaeser Edward (2000), Measuring Trust, „The Quarterly Journal of Economics”, 115 (3). [Google Scholar]
  17. Huiping Wu, Shing-On Leung (2017), Can Likert scales be treated as interval scales? – A simulation study, „Journal of Social Service Research”, 43 (4). [Google Scholar]
  18. Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik Juergen, Warner Uwe (2006), How to Measure Education in Cross-National Comparison: A Matrix of Education as a New Instrument. Proceedings of Q2006 European Conference on Quality in Survey Statistics, Q2006 European Conference on Quality in Survey Statistics, Cardiff. [Google Scholar]
  19. Jowell Roger, Roberts Caroline, Fitzgerald Rory, Gilian Eva (red.) (2017), Measuring Trust Cross-Nationally. Lessons from European Social Survey, London: SAGE Publications. [Google Scholar]
  20. Kolankiewicz George (1996), Social Capital and Social Change, „The British Journal of Sociology”, 47 (3). [Google Scholar]
  21. Meer Tom van der, Dekker Paul (2011), Trustworthy states, trusting citizens? w: Marc Hooghe, Sonja Zmerli (red.), Political trust: Why context matter? Colchester: ECPR Press. [Google Scholar]
  22. Molenaers Nadia (2003), Associations or Informal Networks? Social Capital and Local Development Practices, w: Marc Hooghe, Dietlind Stolle (red.), Generating Social Capital, New York: Macmillan. [Google Scholar]
  23. Nannestad Peter (2008), What we have learned about generalized trust, if anything? „Annual Review of Political Science”, 11. [Google Scholar]
  24. Netemeyer Richard, Bearden William, Sharma Subhash (2003), Scaling Procedures, London: SAGE Publications. [Google Scholar]
  25. Newton Kenneth (2005), Support for democracy: Social capital, civil society and political performance, „WZB Discussion Papers”, SP IV 2005-402. [Google Scholar]
  26. Newton Kenneth, Norris Pippa (2000), Confidence in public institutions: Faith, culture or performance? w: Putnam Robert, Susan Pharr (red.), Disaffected Democracies: What’s Troubling the Trilateral countries? Princeton:, Princeton University Press. [Google Scholar]
  27. Newton Kenneth, Zmerli Sonja (2011), Three forms of trust and their association, „European Political Science Review”, 3 (2). [Google Scholar]
  28. Newton Kenneth, Zmerli Sonja (2017), Social and Political Trust, w: Eric Uslaner (red.), The Oxford Handbook of Social and Political Trust, New York: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]
  29. OECD Guidelines on Measuring Trust (2017), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/content/publication/9789264278219-en (dostęp 11.11.2020). [Google Scholar]
  30. Oppenheim Abraham N. (1992), Kwestionariusze, Wywiady, Pomiary Postaw, Poznań: Zysk i S-ka. Paxton Pamela (2002), Social Capital and Democracy: An Independent Relationship, „American Sociological Review”, 62 (2). [Google Scholar]
  31. Pharr Susan, Putnam Robert (red.) (2000), Dissafected Democracies: What’s Troubling the Trilateral Countries? Princeton: Princeton University Press. [Google Scholar]
  32. Portes Alejandro (2010), Economic Sociology, Princeton: Princeton University Press. [Google Scholar]
  33. Putnam Robert (1993), Making Democracy Work: Civic traditions in modern Italy, Princeton: Princeton University Press. [Google Scholar]
  34. Putnam Robert (2008), Samotna gra w kręgle, Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Akademickie i Profesjonalne. [Google Scholar]
  35. Schyns Peggy, Koop Christel (2010), Political Distrust and Social Capital in Europe and the USA, „Social Indicators Research”, 96 (1). [Google Scholar]
  36. Słomczyński Kazimierz (1995), Typologia międzykrajowych badań porównawczych a kluczowe problemy metodologiczne, „Studia Socjologiczne”, 200. [Google Scholar]
  37. Słomczyński Kazimierz (2004), Europejski Sondaż Społeczny a inne międzynarodowe badania surveyowe, „ASK: Research & Methods”, 13. [Google Scholar]
  38. Stoker Laura, Levi Margaret (2000), Political Trust and Trustworthiness, „Annual Review of Political Science”, 3. [Google Scholar]
  39. Stolle Dietlind (2002), Trusting Strangers – The concept of generalized trust in perspective, „Österreichische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft”, 31. [Google Scholar]
  40. Stolle Dietlind, Hooghe Marc (red.) (2003), Generating Social Capital, New York: Macmillan. [Google Scholar]
  41. Stolle Dietlind, Rothstein Bo (2008), Political institutions and generalized social trust, w: Dario Castiglione, Jan Van Deth (red.), The handbook of social capital, New York: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]
  42. Studenmund A.H. (2016), Using Econometrics, Boston: Pearson. [Google Scholar]
  43. Sztompka Piotr (2007), Zaufanie. Fundament społeczeństwa, Kraków: Znak. [Google Scholar]
  44. Tavakol Mohsen, Dennick Reg (2011), Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha, „International Journal of Medical Education”, 2. [Google Scholar]
  45. Turper Sedef, Aarts Kees (2017), Political Trust and Sophistication: Taking Measurement Seriously, „Social Indicators Research”, 130. [Google Scholar]
  46. Uslaner Eric (1999), Democracy and social capital, w: Mark Warren (red.), Democracy and Trust, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar]
  47. Van Deth Jan (2000), Interesting but irrelevant: Social capital and the saliency of politics in Western Europe, „European Journal of Political Research”, 37. [Google Scholar]
  48. Van Deth Jan (2003), Measuring social capital: Orthodoxies and continuing controversies, „International Journal of Social Research Methodology”, 6 (1). [Google Scholar]
  49. Weatherford Stephen (1987), Does Government Performance Influence Political Support? „Political Behavior”, 9 (1). [Google Scholar]
  50. Zmerli Sonja, Newton Kenneth (2008), Social Trust and Attitudes Towards Democracy, „Public Opinion Quarterly”, 72 (4). [Google Scholar]

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.