Who do you trust? The role of level and change in trust and personality across young to middle adulthood for political interest and voting intentions

Abstract

We studied the longitudinal interplay between five-factor model personality traits, interpersonal, and institutional trust from young to middle adulthood and examined whether concurrent levels and change of all constructs predict civic outcomes. We found stability and change in trust variables and personality across almost 20 years in 4,120 adults from Germany. Although concurrent levels were related, we found non-significant to small longitudinal links between constructs. Change in trust and personality predicted people’s interest in politics and their preference for parties at the edge of the political spectrum, but not their intention to vote. Results highlight the role of levels and change in trust and personality for civic outcomes, but also call for further investigations on why trust changes over time.