Social Trust: What Are The Determinants Of Public Trust?

1. THE DETERMINANTS OF PUBLIC TRUST
2.1 Based on Performance
Sonderskov and Dinesen (2015) posited that social trust is an important aspect in a democratic institution. It is the willingness of the public to participate in social, economic, and political activities of the state. The author claimed that social trust came from people’s experiences and such trust can be rooted from public’s experiences on the performance of an institution. Performance and the ability of the political leaders to provide public goods contribute to the building of social trust. This implies that if there is a positive outlook on the performance of an institution, social trust will increase.
Moreover, Marton (2016) claimed that the chief base of public trust on political

Nonetheless trust is a very complex, multifaceted concept. Thomas (1998) cited three concepts of trust by Luhmann, (1979); Williamson, (1993); and Zuncker, (1986). First is the fiduciary relationship, this is when an individual puts trust on another to act in his or her capacity. It emerges in a principal-agent relationship when principals are unable to monitor or control the performance of their agents and are therefore vulnerable to misfeasance and malfeasance. In reality this is when the trust of the public relies on the officials to moderate the duties of its agents because the public cannot always check on the agents of the government. Second, is mutual trust which is always interpersonal. Under this category, people put trust on one another because he has the same mutual understanding. This is when the socialization comes in. Trust increases the propensity of individuals to cooperate, although cooperation does not necessarily imply trust with one another. Lastly, social trust that implies to culture, regulations and professional norms that constrain the set of choices for individual. It shapes motive and beliefs, it sets individuals to be more or less self-interested and more or less