«DOES THE GOVERNMENT TRUST THE SOCIETY»: RUSSIAN REGIONS PILOT RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Introduction. In the «state – society» system, trust is primarily considered as a problem of trust between society and the state. The author of the article put the opposite question: how much does the government trust society, and what are the consequences of such trust/distrust. Despite the apparent obviousness of this question, such studies are on the periphery of the social sciences, and there remains little methodology and empirical verification of their conduct. The author set a goal to conduct a pilot study in order to test the methodology for assessing the level of trust of representatives of public authorities, represented by state and municipal employees, in society.

Materials and methods. The main research method is a questionnaire using a specialized online survey service for representatives of public authorities in the financial and economic sphere from 19 subjects of the Russian Federation. Three key objects of trust in the «society» have been identified: citizens, business and state (municipal) institutions.

Results and conclusions. The author has developed a research model on the problem of trust in government and society, which includes the structure of social trust and factors determining the level of trust in government and society. The pilot study confirmed the need for a differentiated study of trust, and the irreducibility of its analysis to direct questions about trust. The need for a study of the heterogeneity of the perception of different representatives of society by the authorities has been identified. It has been shown that the government's trust in citizens, business, and state (municipal) institutions varies significantly: the greatest degree of trust of representatives of public authorities is shown in relation to citizens, the least – to business. The position in the power vertical significantly affects the level of trust of government officials in society. The study demonstrates that the declared trust attitudes are not always converted into practical actions, which creates certain barriers in the public administration system.

Discussion. The results obtained can be useful for improving the methodology of conducting such research, developing mechanisms for interaction between government and society, as well as for developing the theory of social trust in the context of public administration. The study makes a significant contribution to understanding the mechanisms of trust formation in the public administration system and can serve as a methodological basis for further research in this area.