Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Behavioural Consequences of Political Trust in Contexts of Inequality: The Case of Latin America

This article examines the impact of political trust on citizen engagement, focusing on its interaction with economic inequality in Latin America. In a regional context of persistently low trust in democratic institutions and high inequality, we examine how these factors shape citizens’ strategies of engagement with the political system. Drawing on Hirschman's theory of exit, voice, and loyalty , we argue that the interplay between low trust and inequality generates distinct behavioral patterns that may foster active citizenship. Building on data from the AmericasBarometer and using hierarchical modeling, our findings suggest that low-trusting citizens are more likely to engage in both exit and non-institutional voice strategies, particularly for the latter when inequality increases. Conversely, higher levels of political trust are associated with greater institutional voice . Notably, trust in political parties follows a different pattern: it is associated with lower levels of non-institutional voice .