IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/socsci/v102y2021i1p324-342.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Determinants of Confidence in U.S. Institutions: Comparing Congress and Corporations

Author

Listed:
  • Daniel Bolger
  • Robert Thomson
  • Elaine Howard Ecklund

Abstract

Objectives The political discourse surrounding the 2016 U.S. presidential election highlighted discontent with both Congress and corporations, a reality corroborated in recent scholarship highlighting declines in institutional confidence among U.S. citizens. Here we test theories of institutional confidence to understand the social and cultural determinants of confidence in Congress and corporations prior to the start of the 2016 presidential campaigns. Methods We draw on data from the Religious Understandings of Science Survey, a nationally representative survey conducted in 2013–2014 (N = 9,416). Results We find that political ideology largely explained confidence in corporations while social location (particularly racial‐ethnic identity and gender) strongly related to confidence in Congress. Seemingly opposing factors converged to predict trust in both institutions. Conclusions Institutional confidence is shaped not only by social and cultural factors but also by the symbolic functions of institutions themselves.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Bolger & Robert Thomson & Elaine Howard Ecklund, 2021. "Determinants of Confidence in U.S. Institutions: Comparing Congress and Corporations," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(1), pages 324-342, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:102:y:2021:i:1:p:324-342
    DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.12921
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12921
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/ssqu.12921?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Diana Evans & Ana Franco & J. L. Polinard & James P. Wenzel & Robert D. Wrinkle, 2017. "Who's on the Bench? The Impact of Latino Descriptive Representation on U.S. Supreme Court Approval Among Latinos and Anglos," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 98(5), pages 1233-1249, November.
    2. Joshua Klugman & Jun Xu, 2008. "Racial Differences in Public Confidence in Education: 1974–2002," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 89(1), pages 155-176, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fujishiro, Kaori & Xu, Jun & Gong, Fang, 2010. "What does "occupation" represent as an indicator of socioeconomic status?: Exploring occupational prestige and health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(12), pages 2100-2107, December.
    2. Dasgupta, Dyotona & Saha, Anuradha, 2022. "Perceptions, biases, and inequality," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 198-210.
    3. John Ishiyama & Andrea Silva, 2020. "Unpacking the Suitcase: Premigratory Experiences with Ethnic Violence and Descriptive Representation Among Asian Americans," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(4), pages 1534-1551, July.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:102:y:2021:i:1:p:324-342. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0038-4941 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.