Political Trust and Political Participation in Latin America

Political trust has been identified as one of the key indicators of citizens' attachment to their political system, specifically to democracy. Thus, scholars have argued that there is a strong relationship between trust and political participation. However, the features of this relationship have not yet been clearly defined by comparative literature. In this research I explore the relationship between trust and political participation in Latin America using data from LAPOP 2014. I argue that those individuals who trust most in their institutions tend to use conventional forms of political participation, while those who distrust their institutions are inclined to other ways of participation, such as protests. In this relationship political efficacy plays an important role in conventional participation.