Does ethnic diversity reduce trust? New evidence from 16 African nations suggests otherwise. We analyze citizens' attitudes toward coethnics versus outsiders, finding a higher trust premium for own group in ethnically diverse countries overall.
Using survey data across Africa:
📍 Data & Methods: Sixteen-country public opinion poll reveals surprising patterns of intergroup trust
💡 Key Findings:
- Citizens express more ethnocentric trust (higher coethnic premium) in nationally diverse states
- This positive correlation weakens at regional and local levels, where diversity is associated with less bias toward own group
- The connection between national-level ethnic heterogeneity and increased coethnic favoritism requires spatial segregation to hold true
🌍 Significance: These findings highlight the complex relationship between macro diversity patterns and micro intergroup dynamics. They suggest that while diverse countries may see more in-group trust, this doesn't necessarily translate into better relations across groups.
