Explicating social capital: Trust and participation in the civil space

According to some commentators, social capital, i.e., the nature of trust and participation in the civil space, may influence population health, political performance and/or economic growth. In the social capital literature, however, the relationship between trust and participation in social networks in the civil space is underdeveloped theoretically and empirically. Respondents to a survey in Saskatchewan, Canada trusted people from nearby communities the most, experts and professionals less strongly and governments least of all, suggesting a multifaceted notion of trust, although those who trusted one referent tended to express trust for another, suggesting continuity to its character in the self. Religious affiliation proved one of the most salient predictors of trust, suggesting an intriguing link between faith and trust. Respondents who participated in many secondary associations in the civil space were relatively more trusting, as were those who participated in cooperative associations and in groups with an interest in furthering some common good.