In God we trust...and Caesar too?

Date
2018-05
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Abstract

This dissertation looks to develop a better understanding of the causes of trust in government by utilizing religiosity as a key independent variable. Using data from the World Values Survey (WVS), the European Values Survey, the Asian Barometer, and the American National Election Studies (ANES), I demonstrate that religiosity fosters a positive relationship with trust in government, irrespective of religion type.

In both an aggregate global study and individual national contexts, religiosity is consistently found to increase trust in government. Knowing this, we can see the Western phenomenon, where a decrease of trust in government can be at least partially attributed to secularization. Furthermore, the more religious bend of citizens in less developed states can explain the often-confounding high levels of trust in government we often see in these states, despite their government’s tendency to be authoritarian and unresponsive when compared to Western states.

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Keywords
Religion and politics, Trust in government, Political trust
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