Trust in North America: Why Do Mexicans Distrust Their Continental Neighbors?

Abstract

This article analyzes individual-level factors that help explain why some Mexicans trust Americans and why many more distrust them. The author develops a statistic model based on survey data that explains the determinants of Mexican"s trust in the United States government and citizens and compare it to trust in Canadians, Mexicans living in the United States, and other Latin American groups. The aim is to identify structural and attitudinal traits and orientations among Mexicans to help us understand their views of their North American neighbors. The results show that Mexican"s trust in Americans is distinctive and particular and has a different rationale than that of trust in other countries and nationalities. Sharing some values and ideological orientations fosters trust, whereas stricking to cretain types of nationalist sentiments -not all types- undermines it. A strong and distinctive predictor of Mexican"s trust in the United States is social interconnectedness, a bridge built by immigration.