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Trust, Tolerance and Democratic Values
Democracy depends not only on institutions and elections but also on relationships between citizens and on trust in public institutions. My research examines how social trust, institutional trust, tolerance and intolerance develop and change.
I have studied how trust develops during adolescence, how experiences at school affect trust in others, how civic engagement may influence tolerance, and how trust in local institutions relates to trust between people in local communities.
A recurring finding is that trust is neither completely fixed nor simply an individual characteristic: it develops through social experiences and institutional contexts.
Trust develops through social experiences and institutional contexts.
5 selected studies
- Peer-reviewed articleTrust, Tolerance and Democratic ValuesYouth Political Socialization and Participation
Solid or Flexible? Social Trust from Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood
2018Abdelzadeh, A., & Lundberg, E.Scandinavian Political Studies
How stable is our trust in other people? By following young people from early adolescence into young adulthood, the study shows that social trust can both change and stabilize over time. The changes are greatest during the early adolescent years and then diminish, pointing to adolescence as an important period for the development of social trust.
- Peer-reviewed articleTrust, Tolerance and Democratic ValuesYouth Political Socialization and Participation
The role of school climate in explaining changes in social trust over time
2019Lundberg, E., & Abdelzadeh, A.Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research
What role does school play in young people's trust in others? The study follows adolescents over time and shows that experiences of the school environment are linked to changes in social trust. Exposure to harassment and bullying in particular is associated with lower trust, showing how concrete social experiences during adolescence can shape how people view others.
- Peer-reviewed articleTrust, Tolerance and Democratic ValuesCivic Engagement and VolunteeringYouth Political Socialization and Participation
Time matters: civic engagement and the development of anti-immigrant attitudes among adolescents
2022Lundberg, E., & Abdelzadeh, A.Acta Politica
Can engagement in associations affect young people's attitudes toward immigration? By following adolescents over several years, the study shows that more long-lasting civic engagement is associated with less negative attitudes toward immigrants. At the same time, the results show that both how long young people are engaged and what type of organization they take part in matter.
- Peer-reviewed articleTrust, Tolerance and Democratic Values
The longitudinal link between institutional and community trust in a local context – findings from a Swedish panel study
2024Abdelzadeh, A., & Lundberg, E.Local Government Studies
How is trust in local institutions related to trust in other people in the local community? The study shows that the two forms of trust develop in close interplay over time: institutional trust is linked to later trust in people in the local community, and vice versa. The findings thus point to the relationship between citizens and institutions not being fully separable from the relationships between people.
- ReportTrust, Tolerance and Democratic Values
Hur stärker vi förtroendet för socialtjänsten?
2026Abdelzadeh, A., & Lundberg, E.Hälsa och välfärd i Dalarna (HvD), Högskolan Dalarna
The results show that trust in social services varies between different groups and is associated with both knowledge and experiences. Perceptions of social services' competence, fairness and treatment matter for how the services are assessed. The study thus points to trust not being merely a general attitude toward public institutions, but also shaped by what people know about social services and how they perceive the way they work.
Related publications
- Peer-reviewed articleTrust, Tolerance and Democratic ValuesYouth Political Socialization and Participation
School, friends, or a matter of personality? A multidimensional approach to exploring sources of tolerance among students
2018Lundberg, E.Nordic Studies in Education
- BookTrust, Tolerance and Democratic Values
Mechanisms of tolerance: an anthology
2017Lundberg, E. (red.)Stockholm: Forum för levande historia
- Book chapterTrust, Tolerance and Democratic ValuesYouth Political Socialization and Participation
Hur kan lärare främja positiva interetniska relationer i skolan? Förutsättningar, strategier och utmaningar
2021Bayram Özdemir, S., Lundberg, E., & Özdemir, M.I Thalberg, S., Asplund, A. & Silberstein, D. (red.), Ungas uppväxtvillkor och integration. Stockholm: Delegationen för migrationsstudier, Rapport 2021:6
- Book chapterTrust, Tolerance and Democratic Values
Tolerance: An introduction to the concept, the research, and the anthology
2017Lundberg, E.In Lundberg, E. (Ed.), Mechanisms of tolerance: an anthology. Stockholm: The Living History Forum
- Book chapterTrust, Tolerance and Democratic ValuesCivic Engagement and VolunteeringYouth Political Socialization and Participation
A school of tolerance? Participation in associations and youth tolerance
2017Lundberg, E., & Abdelzadeh, A.In Lundberg, E. (Ed.), Mechanisms of tolerance: an anthology. Stockholm: The Living History Forum
- Book chapterTrust, Tolerance and Democratic ValuesYouth Political Socialization and Participation
The development of tolerance among the young
2017Lundberg, E., & Abdelzadeh, A.In Lundberg, E. (Ed.), Mechanisms of tolerance: an anthology. Stockholm: The Living History Forum
- Book chapterTrust, Tolerance and Democratic Values
Tolerance and other citizen competencies
2017Abdelzadeh, A., & Lundberg, E.In Lundberg, E. (Ed.), Mechanisms of tolerance: an anthology. Stockholm: The Living History Forum
- Book chapterTrust, Tolerance and Democratic ValuesCivic Engagement and Volunteering
En arena för tillit och tolerans?
2016Abdelzadeh, A., Amnå, E., & Lundberg, E.I Dartsch, C., Norberg, J. R. & Pihlblad, J. (red.), Föreningen, laget och jaget: 7 perspektiv på idrottens demokratiska effekter. Stockholm: Centrum för idrottsforskning
- ReportTrust, Tolerance and Democratic ValuesCivic Engagement and Volunteering
Kan ett engagemang i civilsamhället motverka intolerans mot personer med utländsk bakgrund?
2020Lundberg, E.Stockholm: Myndigheten för ungdoms- och civilsamhällesfrågor
- ReportTrust, Tolerance and Democratic ValuesYouth Political Socialization and Participation
Fostering tolerance and social trust and preventing value conflicts among young persons: How does school context play a role?
2019Lundberg, E.Conference report, Nordic Education in a Democratically Troublesome Time. Örebro University
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