Abstract
While most countries are experiencing stable or declining rates of generalized trust, this has not been the case in the Nordic countries, where levels of generalized trust have continued to increase. In the Danish case, trust increased by 50 per cent in the period from 1981 to 2008. This article investigates this puzzling development by testing the dominant socialization, status, and institutional theories on trust development. Using the Danish 1990, 1999, and 2008 waves of the European Values Study Denmark, the author employs graphical modelling in analysing the drivers of generalized trust increase in Denmark. Graphical modelling allows hierarchical structures of independent variables and is robust to thin cells, thus giving a more detailed picture than conventional regression techniques. The study shows that socialization has had little impact on the increasing level of generalized trust, whereas both individual achievement and the generally increasing levels of affluence and education are important drivers of the trust increase. However, since large parts of the population reaped the benefits of increasing levels of education and employment in Denmark during this period, this is not just a case of increasing trust, but also one of a diminishing low-trust minority excluded from partaking in this development.
Highlights
Contemporary research indicates that generalized trust is stable at a medium level in most western countries, while in others it is declining due to increasing inequality, individualization, institutional failure, and increasing heterogeneity (Delhey & Newton, 2003; Fukuyama, 1996, 2001; Putnam, 2000; Robinson & Jackson, 2001)
Generalized trust in Denmark has been increasing despite increasing inequality and heterogeneity
Analysing the Danish data from the three most recent waves of the European Values Study and employing graphical modelling, this study investigates how the increase in generalized trust has been differentiated between different parts of the population
Summary
Contemporary research indicates that generalized trust is stable at a medium level in most western countries, while in others it is declining due to increasing inequality, individualization, institutional failure, and increasing heterogeneity (Delhey & Newton, 2003; Fukuyama, 1996, 2001; Putnam, 2000; Robinson & Jackson, 2001). Comparative research on generalized trust explains why trust is higher in Denmark than in many other countries. It does, tell us little about why trust is increasing. Analysing the Danish data from the three most recent waves of the European Values Study and employing graphical modelling, this study investigates how the increase in generalized trust has been differentiated between different parts of the population. From this differentiation, hypotheses are outlined on the relationship between the development of Danish society and the differentiated increase in generalized trust. In the conclusion these are reconnected to the predominant theories and the consequences for trust research are outlined
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