Political Trust – More Personal Than We Thought? Explaining How and When Personality Traits Affect Political Trust.
Abstract
Political trust is crucial for a well-functioning society. Yet few countries enjoy the benefits of high
political trust. This makes people wonder how trust in institutions is built. While trust in political
institutions is considered to be an individual's evaluation of institutional performance, individuals
within the same country make very different assessments. In this dissertation, I show that
personality traits, that are genetic and socialized at an early age, can help explain why individuals'
trust assessments differ. As personality traits reflect individuals' behavioral, cognitive, and
emotional patterns, I argue that traits affect political trust in three ways, directly through our general
tendencies, indirectly through how we process information and experiences, or how we interact
with institutions. In three research papers, I study the relationship between personality traits and
political trust in different political contexts, using different measurements of personality traits,
political institutions, and institutional experiences. The results show that personality traits
contribute to explaining why individuals' levels of trust in the same institutions differ. I conclude
that personality traits are an important explanation for how political trust is formed and need to be
considered when studying how trust changes over time.
Parts of work
1. Robertson, F (2023a). Personality Traits and Trust in Political Institutions. Unpublished manuscript. 2. Robertson, F (2023b). Subcategories of Personality Traits and the Relationship with Political Trust.
Unpublished Manuscript. 3. Robertson, F (2023c). Who Reduces Political Trust after Experiencing Corruption? Introducing the Role of Personality Traits. International Political Science Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/01925121231186556
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
University
University of Gothenburg. Faculty of Social Sciences
Göteborgs universitet. Samhällsvetenskapliga fakulteten
Institution
Department of Political Science ; Statsvetenskapliga institutionen
Disputation
Fredagen den 8 september 2023, kl. 13.15 i Hörsal 204, Annedalsseminariet, Seminariegatan 1A, Göteborg.
Date of defence
2023-09-08
felicia.robertson@gu.se
Date
2023-08-16Author
Robertson, Felicia
Keywords
Big Five
Five Factor Model
Institutional trust
Publication type
Doctoral thesis
ISBN
978-91-8069-377-6 (PRINT)
978-91-8069-378-3 (PDF)
ISSN
0346-5942
Series/Report no.
Göteborg Studies in Politics 180
Language
eng