Narrowing the racial trust gap: How discrimination shapes racial differences in trust

• In Event: 3465 - Social Capital and Trust

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand if the experience of discrimination and the disposition to anticipate discrimination in social interactions explain racial differences in trust and if the relationship between discrimination and trust is stronger for whites or for racial minorities. Survey research finds that members of racial and ethnic minority groups—and blacks in particular—report substantially lower levels of trust than do whites. Indeed, racial differences in trust pervade a range of social contexts, from interpersonal relationships with friends, family, and neighbors to interactions with the health care, social service, and criminal justice systems. Scholars often attribute the racial trust gap to historical and contemporary forms of discrimination. Nonetheless, few studies have assessed the relationship between discrimination and trust in the U.S. context. Using the Chicago Community Adult Health Study (n=3105), I examine how the experience and anticipation of discrimination relate to generalized trust, trust in neighbors, and trust in community police. I find that the experience of discrimination contributes modestly to racial differences in all three forms of trust. However, the negative relationship between discrimination and generalized trust is strongest for whites and negligible for blacks and Hispanics. These findings suggest that efforts to eliminate discrimination in interpersonal and institutional contexts may have little immediate effect on racial differences in generalized trust. Moreover, perceptions of reverse discrimination may exacerbate an observed long-term decline in generalized trust among whites.

Author

• Michael Evangelist, University of Michigan