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Assessing the Stability of Trust in Government Across Election Periods

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  • Matthew S. Dabros
  • Suzanne L. Parker
  • Mark W. Petersen

Abstract

type="main"> Past research shows that electoral context prompts changes in political trust. In the United States, data limitations confine this literature to status-quo affirming presidential elections. We extend previous research to unexamined contexts: elections with partisan presidential changes, midterm elections with shifts in congressional control, and nonelection periods. Original panel data from 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2012 are used. Data were obtained from surveys administered to students enrolled at a large midwestern university. We compare context effects on trust and other political attitudes, and contrast trust levels among winners and losers in each context. We find that trust is more malleable than most other attitudes in all periods; it is less stable in presidential elections than congressional elections; and there is no evidence of winner and loser effects. Our findings reveal the importance of political context in explaining the stability of trust by showing that trust levels are more changeable in certain contexts than others, specifically more changeable in presidential than in congressional elections.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew S. Dabros & Suzanne L. Parker & Mark W. Petersen, 2015. "Assessing the Stability of Trust in Government Across Election Periods," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 96(4), pages 996-1011, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:96:y:2015:i:4:p:996-1011
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/ssqu.12156
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Carolyn Barber & Jessica Ross, 2018. "Cross-Cohort Changes in Adolescents’ Civic Attitudes from 1999 to 2009: An Analysis of Sixteen Countries," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 11(2), pages 681-703, April.

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