Title Socialinio ir politinio (ne)pasitikėjimo kaita Baltijos šalyse 1990–2018 m /
Translation of Title DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL (DIS)TRUST IN THE BALTIC STATES DURING 1990-2018.
Authors Gaižauskaitė, Inga
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Is Part of Lietuvos socialinė raida: Regioniniai socialinės diferenciacijos ypatumai.. Vilnius : Lietuvos socialinių tyrimų centras. 2019, 8, p. 145-166.. ISSN 2029-963X. eISSN 2424-497X
Keywords [eng] social trus ; trust in political institutions ; democracy ; alternatives to trust ; the Baltic States
Abstract [eng] The paper analyses the change in the level of social generalized trust (or trust in people in general) and political trust (or public trust in political institutions) in the three Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia). The study covers data of the period from 1990 to 2018 that allows monitoring whether and how level of trust in the societies of these countries has changed under democratic conditions. Analysis of international comparative studies shows that the level of social and political trust in the Baltic States remained similar during the study period, although overall there has been a slight increase, in particular of trust in political institutions. Comparing the countries, it can be stated that Estonia has managed to accumulate bigger reserve of trust than Latvia or Lithuania. In the latter, trust in the country‘s political institutions remains relatively low; in all three countries the level of social trust can be described as moderate, with around one third of citizens trusting other people in general. Also, a very low public trust in political parties is commonly characteristic to the three states. Data reveal a tendency of externalisation of political trust. Though citizen of all three Baltic countries have higher than EU average levels of trust in European institutions, the gap between levels of public trust in national and EU institutions is in particular characteristic for Latvia and Lithuania (whereas Estonians trust national and EU institutions at similar levels). Lacking trust in national governments and parliaments, Lithuanians and Latvians tend to compensate placing more trust in the EU institutions. Though the three Baltic States had a similar path of transformation into democratic system, the ability to accumulate trust in people and institutions is somewhat different. The data show that Estonia is slightly more successful in formation of culture of trust whereas Latvia and Lithuania continuously have lower levels of trust over the period.
Published Vilnius : Lietuvos socialinių tyrimų centras
Type Journal article
Language Lithuanian
Publication date 2019