Trust and ethnic tolerance under conditions of social change

• Main Author: Svetlana V. Ryzhova
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Russian Academy of Sciences, Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology 2016-03-01
• Series: Социологический журнал
• Online Access: http://jour.fnisc.ru/upload/journals/1/articles/3920/submission/proof/3920-61-8607-1-10-20161003.pdf

The purpose of the article is to consider the conceptual approaches to the study of trust, instruments of its study, and empirical research of the level of trust and ethnic tolerance in Moscow. The paper presents the results of sociological research of Muscovites carried out in 2014 by the method of formalized interview. The author studied attitudes of trust and distrust, subjective ground for the trust and distrust which have developed in the Moscow society. Some problems of the empirical study of the level of generalized trust are discussed. The simple 4-point scale was used as a tool for study of trust. The research found that the population of Moscow is strongly polarized — 47.6% tend to trust people in general, and 46.5% — do not trust. The networks of trust in Moscow are formed mainly on the basis of the closest circle of relatives and friends; trust is formed by assessing the reliability of partners. Rules and norms underlying the culture of trust are taken into account but they are inferior to the other grounds of trust. There is the obvious shortage of basic trust. The research indicates that ethnic tolerance and generalized trust are interrelated phenomena. Ethnic tolerance assists to generalized trust. Certain degree of ethnic tolerance, favorable (or just neutral) attitudes towards ethno-cultural diversity of society is necessary for the formation of generalized trust. Modern culture of trust in Moscow is created on the basis of cooperation, friendly relations and good neighborly.