Do Hostile Opinion Environments Harm Political Participation? The Moderating Role of Generalized Social Trust

This article attempts to reevaluate the democratic implications of opinion diversity by showing that politically hostile social networks do not necessarily discourage political participation. It is theorized that generalized social trust, as an individual differences variable, can explain how individuals expect others to behave when deviating opinions are voiced. In contrast to high social trust individuals, low trust individuals believe others will react negatively to such dissent. Thus, it is hypothesized that low trust individuals refrain from participation when confronted with a hostile social network. Using U.S. representative survey data, Study 1 confirms that a demobilizing effect of hostile networks can only be observed for lower levels of social trust. Study 2 replicates this finding with an online survey addressing the underlying mechanism in a mediated moderation analysis. It is shown that social trust fuels behavioral expectations about how others will react to dissent. These expectations, in turn, explain how hostile networks dampen participation.