Trusting others in a divided country: The determinants of social trust in South Africa

Abstract

AbstractThis study investigates three key determinants of social trust to explain South Africa's social trust deficit: income inequality, confidence in institutions, and racial diversity. Despite the country's racially heterogenous society and segregated history, racial diversity arguments overlook alternative theories on the determinants of low social trust. We instead argue that the decline in social trust in South Africa can be explained by worsening levels of income inequality and declines in institutional trust in recent decades. Using the 2019 South African Reconciliation Barometer citizen survey data, the empirical analysis confirms that South Africans' confidence in institutions and their subjective perceptions of income distribution (or income inequality) have the strongest influence on social trust levels while racial diversity has a negligible effect. This is encouraging for a country with South Africa's racial diversity and troubled history. Instead, efforts to address South Africa's social trust deficit should focus on increasing citizens' confidence in institutions and addressing the high levels of income inequality. However, given the dire state of institutional confidence and income inequality in the country, it remains unlikely that these conditions will improve in the short term.