Peng LU
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze people’s confidence in political institutions in the so-called BRICS countries, that is, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. I argue that the quality of macroeconomic indicators cannot explain the variation in political confidence between the five most dynamic new emerging economies, and that there is no substantial difference among young, middle-aged, and senior-aged groups. By combing data from the Asia Barometer Survey and the World Value Survey, the author provides two complementary approaches, one sociocultural and the other micropolitical, to reveal the factors that influence people’s confidence in four major political institutions. The explanatory effects of these two approaches are mixed. Political identity and values, in most cases, have a significant impact on political confidence. On the other hand, high levels of interpersonal social trust, individual happiness, and satisfaction with living standards also show positive influences.
Keywords: confidence in political institutions, BRICS countries, political attitudes, new emerging economies
Download Link: Japanese Journal of Political Science, volume 15, issue 03, pp. 417-441
