Democracy, Post-Communism and Public Trust: An Examination of Levels of Democracy and Post-Communism as Predictors of Long Term Public Trust In Government

摘要

Trust among the public in government institutions varies based on many different factors. Herein several variables are examined to determine their significance in predicting levels of trust a decade after the collapse of communism by looking specifically at post-communist countries in Eastern Europe. The key variables examined are the level of democracy immediately following the collapse of communism, and the legacy of communism itself. It is determined that neither the level of democracy nor a legacy of communism have a long-term effect on levels of public trust in government, while instead factors such as perceived economic expectations for the future and personal job situation are significant predictors of trust.