The social gradient of trust in government: An empirical analysis based on the 2019 wave of the Chinese Social Survey

Recent research on trust in the Chinese government has increasingly focused on whether it can be seen as the civic foundation of political stability. Differing from previous studies discussing the authenticity of the high mean level of trust in China, this paper responds to this discussion by examining how trust in the government varies across different social classes. By analyzing data from the Chinese Social Survey, our research revealed a gradient in trust towards both central and local governments across social classes, with notably lower trust observed in the lower classes. The social gradient was more pronounced in trust towards local governments compared to the central government. Furthermore, we found that the implementation of equity-oriented policies was effective in bridging the gap in trust between classes. These findings not only indicate that highly stratified trust may lead to potential risk to political stability, but also provide valuable insights into government behavior and its consequences, which are essential for guiding the transformation of governmental functions in the future.