Why There is Basically Only One Form of Political Trust

Abstract

Fisher et al. have argued in this journal that various forms of political trust should be distinguished. In this note I critically review this assertion. A replication study of the British Election Study demonstrates clearly that political trust is a one-dimensional attitude, as citizens apparently do not distinguish between the functioning of various political institutions. An explanation for this pattern could be that political trust judgements reflect the prevailing political culture within a political system. It can rightly be assumed that political culture is a system characteristic that will guide the behaviour of most political actors and institutions.