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Economic Insecurity and Political Trust in the United States

Wroe, Andrew (2016) Economic Insecurity and Political Trust in the United States. American Politics Research, 44 (1). pp. 131-163. ISSN 1532-673X. E-ISSN 1559-7745. (doi:10.1177/1532673X15597745) (KAR id:50095)

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http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1177/1532673X15597745

Abstract

Extant research demonstrates that citizens’ evaluations of national economic

performance play an important role in determining trust in politicians and

political institutions, whereas evaluations of their own economic situation

play a lesser or even negligible role. Utilizing American National Election

Studies data and more apposite measures of personal economic privation

during an age of globalization and de-industrialization, this article finds that

the extent to which citizens perceive themselves and their families to be

economically insecure has a statistically significant and substantial negative

effect on political trust. Indeed, the effect at least matches those of macroeconomic

evaluations and party identification. This article therefore adds

a new dimension to our understanding of the economy–trust nexus and

contributes to the small but growing body of scholarship on insecurity’s

effects on political behavior.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1177/1532673X15597745
Additional information: Published on OnlineFirst on 7 August 2015
Uncontrolled keywords: trust in government; economic insecurity; risk; prospect theory; perceptions
Subjects: H Social Sciences
H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
J Political Science
J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
J Political Science > JK Political institutions and public administration (United States)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Politics and International Relations
Depositing User: Andrew Wroe
Date Deposited: 10 Aug 2015 16:03 UTC
Last Modified: 04 Jul 2023 11:16 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/50095 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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