Trust in Local Government: Service Satisfaction, Culture, and Demography

Trust in government is expected to promote effective implementation of public services. However, people in different cultures and on different levels do not always recognize the same concept of trust. Using a survey for Japanese and Norwegian citizens, the primary factors determining trust on the local level are examined. The analysis shows that the satisfaction with public service performance is highly influential in both countries, which is partly also true for political-cultural factors, while demographical factors are of minor influence. There are also variations in trust toward different institutions and actors, and the national factor is also significant.