Can the Turtle Be Lured Out of Its Shell?

Abstract

Social trust is associated with more pro-social and cooperative communities and is therefore crucial in modern day democratic societies. However, scholars indicate that social trust is under pressure in the increasingly ethnic diverse Dutch neighbourhoods. Promoting contacts amongst neighbours in these ethnic diverse neighbourhoods is viewed as countermeasure to the detrimental effect of ethnic diversity on trust amongst neighbours. The aim of this study is to get a deeper understanding, of the relationship between perceived neighbourhood diversity and social trust amongst neighbours. Further, it examines the influence neighbourhood contacts have on this relationship. To this end, the data of the LISS (Longitudinal Internet studies for the Social Sciences) panel administered by CentERdata (Tilburg University, The Netherlands) on neighbourhood perceptions were analysed. By running a multiple linear regression, the effect of perceived neighbourhood perceptions on general social trust in neighbours, as well as the interaction effects of perceived neighbourhood diversity with neighbours in general and neighbours of another origin, were investigated. The analysis was run separately for the group of native Dutch residents and those with a migration background, as perceived neighbourhood diversity was expected to have different effects on general trust in neighbours of both groups. The findings of the present study show that for both groups perceived ethnic diversity lower general social trust in neighbours. Against the expectations, having more general neighbourhood contacts strengthened rather than weakened this effect for the native Dutch residents. Furthermore, having high number of neighbourhood contacts of another origin did not influence the relationship of ethnic diversity on general trust in neighbours. Therefore, policy makers must pay more attention to what types of contact might promote general trust in neighbours.