Trust in Elites and Protest Orientation: An Integrative Approach

In: Political behavior, Volume 2, Issue 4, p. 385-404

Abstract

The consensus-based hypothesis that trust in political authorities is a major determinant of system stability has received less empirical support in the protest literature than its theoretical appeal once promised. A major revision of the leadership-trust approach is proposed -- one that integrates the conflict & consensus approaches by considering public trust in both established & challenging elites. Recognizing the importance of opposition leadership, it is argued that the difference between these two types of trust, conceptualized as trust differential, should explain protest orientation better than other trust-variable alternatives. The new trust differential variable suggests a distinctive typology of trust orientations that predict the degree of protest endorsement somewhat differently than the traditional authority-trust model. Using questionnaire survey data (N = 344 adults) collected in Madison, Wisc, in 1973, the integrative differential approach is tested against its classic competitors (the latter being controlled for), & found to be a more powerful, independent predictor of protest orientation. 5 Tables, 1 Figure. Modified HA.