Abstract
Does Social Trust Increase Ethnic Tolerance? An Analysis of Cultural Reservations
Previous research has emphasized that social trust makes modern societies more cohesive. Social trust is commonly defined as a faith in the unknown other. A number of previous studies have shown that trusters are also tolerant toward ethnic minority members. This article contributes to social trust research by examining the extent to which the relationship between social trust and tolerance toward ethnic minority members is conditioned by the preference for national cultural homogeneity. The empirical analysis shows that the relationship between social trust and ethnic tolerance is very weak among those who strongly prefer national cultural homogeneity. This finding suggests that parts of the international literature have overestimated the ability of social trust to create inclusive and coherent societies. The empirical analysis is performed with data from the European Social Survey from 2002 (N = 35,291 respondents in representative samples covering 22 countries).
Previous research has emphasized that social trust makes modern societies more cohesive. Social trust is commonly defined as a faith in the unknown other. A number of previous studies have shown that trusters are also tolerant toward ethnic minority members. This article contributes to social trust research by examining the extent to which the relationship between social trust and tolerance toward ethnic minority members is conditioned by the preference for national cultural homogeneity. The empirical analysis shows that the relationship between social trust and ethnic tolerance is very weak among those who strongly prefer national cultural homogeneity. This finding suggests that parts of the international literature have overestimated the ability of social trust to create inclusive and coherent societies. The empirical analysis is performed with data from the European Social Survey from 2002 (N = 35,291 respondents in representative samples covering 22 countries).
Originalsprog | Dansk |
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Tidsskrift | Statsvetenskaplig Tidskrift |
Vol/bind | 115 |
Nummer | 3 |
Sider (fra-til) | 205-223 |
Antal sider | 19 |
ISSN | 0039-0747 |
Status | Udgivet - 30 sep. 2013 |