2024/04/18 by Shuai Jin, Yue Hu, Tianguang Meng · 8 citations
Mathematics · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Classical economics #Corruption and Economic Development #Economic analysis #Economic inequality #Economics #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies #Inequality #Law #Law and economics #Mathematics #Political economy #Political science #Politics #Positive economics #Psychology #Public economics #Social psychology #Sociology
paper · doi:10.1093/poq/nfae013
published in Public Opinion Quarterly 88(2), 337-358 (Oxford University Press)
openalex publication_date 2024/04/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02
Abstract Research suggests that economic inequality reduces political trust after the public recognizes the inequality and perceives it as a failure of the political system in Western democracies. This study challenges this presumed “output evaluation model” (OEM) both theoretically and empirically. We provide an alternative mediator evaluation model (MEM) contending that objective inequality affects political trust through government-performance mediators, without requiring accurate public perception of inequality or specific regime types. With nationwide economic inequality and public opinion data from China, we examined both the OEM implication and four MEM mechanisms through impartial governance, responsiveness, judicial fairness, and anti-corruption efforts. Findings indicate that the mediating mechanisms, rather than direct inequality, shape political trust, with robust evidence even after addressing endogeneity. This study broadens the understanding of the intricate relationship between systemic conditions and individual perceptions, offering significant insights into the dynamics of trust in political institutions in a general sense.