Abstract
A sizeable scholarly literature has generally uncovered weak, statistically trivial
connections between social capital and political support, in spite of its logical
appeal. Much of this research, however, has adopted an overly restrictive
research design. It has overwhelmingly focused on the impact of social trust
on political trust, from which broad inferences about the utility of the social
capital perspective have been made. Rarely, however, has the impact of social
capital been systematically assessed on indicators of political support which
are more diffuse in character. Using data drawn from the German General
Social Survey (ALLBUS), the present study analyses the impact of different
measures of social capital on political support in the Federal Republic of
Germany. The results strongly support the conclusion that social capital influences diffuse support.
connections between social capital and political support, in spite of its logical
appeal. Much of this research, however, has adopted an overly restrictive
research design. It has overwhelmingly focused on the impact of social trust
on political trust, from which broad inferences about the utility of the social
capital perspective have been made. Rarely, however, has the impact of social
capital been systematically assessed on indicators of political support which
are more diffuse in character. Using data drawn from the German General
Social Survey (ALLBUS), the present study analyses the impact of different
measures of social capital on political support in the Federal Republic of
Germany. The results strongly support the conclusion that social capital influences diffuse support.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 568-590 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| Journal | German Politics |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 2 Nov 2011 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |