Abstract
States support religion to varying extents. What is the effect of state support for religion on generalized social trust? The majority of previous studies of religion and social trust focus on individual-level factors, and none examines the impact of state support for religion. We argue that when a state chooses to support the majority religion, this creates increased levels of doctrinal homogeneity and conformity, which, in turn, cause higher levels of social trust within the majority religion. Drawing upon the Religion and State and World Values Survey datasets, we find that state support for religion is associated with higher levels of social trust.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 322-342 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Political Studies |
| Volume | 72 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2024 |
Keywords
- governance
- rational choice theory
- religion
- social trust