University of Cologne, Germany.
American University, United States.
Soc Sci Res. 2019 Mar;79:115-126. doi: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.12.009. Epub 2018 Dec 10.
This study examines whether the values prevalent in one's social environment moderate the link between immigration-related ethnic diversity and social trust. Drawing on arguments related to intergroup relations and anomie, we expect that contexts characterized by a comparatively high degree of openness mitigate a trust-eroding effect of immigration. In contrast, we expect that contexts of low openness or high conservation may reinforce a trust-eroding effect. We test these propositions using survey data from Europe and the United States merged with regional indicators on immigration and value contexts. The results show that high levels of contextual openness attenuate trust-eroding consequences of immigration growth. With regard to mechanisms, we find that contextual openness moderates how change in immigration relates to generalized forms of trust rather than outgroup trust. This points to an overall anomie-reducing function of openness norms, especially in times of ethnic change.
本研究考察了一个人的社会环境中普遍存在的价值观是否会调节移民相关的族裔多样性与社会信任之间的联系。基于群体间关系和失范的相关论点，我们预计相对开放程度较高的环境会减轻移民对信任的侵蚀作用。相反，我们预计开放程度较低或保守程度较高的环境可能会加剧对信任的侵蚀作用。我们使用来自欧洲和美国的调查数据，并结合有关移民和价值环境的区域指标来检验这些假设。结果表明，较高水平的环境开放性会减轻移民增长对信任的侵蚀后果。关于机制，我们发现环境开放性调节了移民变化与普遍形式的信任之间的关系，而不是与外群体的信任之间的关系。这表明开放性规范具有减轻失范的总体功能，尤其是在族裔变化时期。
