The decline in public trust during recent decades has engendered an interest in trust as a theoretical concept, as well as in the process which build and erode trust, and its function in encounters between state and civil society actors. This analysis examines public trust in the planning and construction of an expanded railway along Sweden's West Coast. Survey data serves as the basis for an exploration of the components of trust and of its role in this particular case and in a democratic society in general. The behavior of politicians and government agencies has a strong bearing in respondents' trust assessments; shared political orientation also seems to build trust. Responses indicate further that trust serves as a bond between the citizen and the larger political system. Finally, statistical analysis shows that trust for the National Rail Administration does play a role in respondents' overall position to the railway reconstruction, whereas trust for national and local politicians does not.
展开▼
