Poster #98 - Reversing Disadvantage: The Paradox of Social Exclusion and Political Trust

• In Event: Saturday Poster Luncheon

Abstract

This study challenges conventional assumptions about the negative relationship between social exclusion and political trust by proposing a novel conceptual framework. This study defines social exclusion as a multidimensional concept that includes SES (socioeconomic status) deprivation (low income, limited education, occupational disadvantage), objective social isolation (scarce social interactions and support), subjective loneliness and perceived interpersonal distrust, and political marginalization (lack of effective civic participation). Integrating these dimensions, we argue that social exclusion triggers a paradoxical rise in political trust through mechanisms of psychological compensation, rooted in relative deprivation theory.

The empirical analysis uses national survey data from the China Social Governance Survey 2023. The research hypothesis is that while lower SES generally corresponds with lower political trust, this relationship is negatively moderated by the level of isolation and social distrust. In cases where individuals report high levels of isolation as well as social distrust, the negative impact of low SES on political trust is diminished or even reversed. This reversal contradicts the prevailing view that exclusion uniformly erodes trust in authoritarian regimes.

The explanation centers on the interplay of deprivation and authoritarian narratives. Under relative deprivation theory, individuals evaluate their status by comparing themselves to others. For the highly excluded, grievances from economic and social marginalization are redirected away from the state. Isolated individuals, lacking reliable social networks (e.g., low trust in neighbors, infrequent civic participation), increasingly rely on the state as a symbolic anchor. The regime’s narrative of collective progress and national pride offers psychological compensation: by identifying with the state’s "success story," marginalized groups gain vicarious pride and moral superiority. For instance, rural migrants excluded from urban welfare systems may still endorse central policies, framing their hardship as a "sacrifice" for national development. Simultaneously, interpersonal distrust amplifies reliance on the state as a perceived neutral arbiter, distancing blame from systemic failures and attributing grievances to "untrustworthy" peers or local actors.

In conclusion, this study advances political psychology by redefining social exclusion as a composite of structural disadvantage and relational rupture. It demonstrates a possible pathway that how authoritarian systems exploit exclusionary experiences to consolidate legitimacy, transforming isolation into a tool of political co-option. The findings urge scholars to reconsider simplistic "deprivation-distrust" models and instead examine how regimes weaponize exclusion to foster loyalty. Future research should explore how state narratives interact with subjective isolation to reshape political identities in contexts beyond China.

Author

• Pinquan Jiang, Renmin University of China
  Presenting Author