Zaufanie do instytucji politycznych a kapitał społeczny w krajach europejskich
Political trust and social capital in European countries

Summary/Abstract: Trust facilitates the development of human relations by enabling effective cooperation and preventing conflicts, it is an important element of a particular kind of capital, called social capital. The implications of trust on social life are very far reaching and for that reason trust is one of the central issues in contemporary sociology and other social sciences. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between social capital and political trust, both on the individual level and on the country level. For this purpose a linear regression model was calculated, using data from the ninth round of the European Social Survey (ESS). Te results showed that social capital, measured by an indicator of generalized trust, has a statistically significant, positive impact on political trust. This impact however was a lot weaker than the impact of satisfaction with the performance of the political system or the evaluation of its inclusiveness. On the country level a strong, positive corelation between generalized trust and political trust has been observed. These results are in line with the previous research, it may be concluded that social capital, particularly generalized trust as its core component, has a positive influence on political trust on the individual and cross-country level.

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