The purpose of this essay is to examine the origin of generalized trust. We compare existing theories on trust to determine what approach is more fruitful in explaining the prevalence, or absence, of trust. Our conviction is that trust should be viewed as an interaction, rather than a disposition or a rational choice. The sample is based on the countries of the OECD. In total, five different hypotheses are tested: i) that generalized trust is created by equal distribution of income, ii) that generalized trust is created through monitoring of the state, iii) that generalized trust is created through rule by law; iv) that generalized trust is created when the welfare apparatus is guided by principles of universalism; or iv) that generalized trust is created when the state integrates trust networks. Although there are some results in favor of each hypothesis, no hypothesis gains stronger support than the last. Nations that produce and distribute welfare in a way that promotes interaction between networks exhibit higher degrees of generalized trust than those that encourage interactions within confined networks. Thus, we conclude that there are good reasons for considering trust as a measure of integration. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur generaliserad tillit uppstår. Uppsatsen är av argumenterande karaktär: den ställer befintliga teorier om tillit mot varandra för att pröva vilken som erbjuder bäst förklaringsmodell. Vår utgångspunkt är att tillit bör ses som en interaktion, snarare än en disposition eller ett rationellt övervägande. Urvalet är baserat på OECD-länderna. Sammantaget testas fem hypoteser: i) att generaliserad tillit skapas genom jämlik inkomstfördelning; ii) att generaliserad tillit skapas genom granskning av staten; iii) att generaliserad tillit skapas genom lagstyre; iv) att generaliserad tillit skapas genom att statens välfärdsapparat styrs av universella principer; samt v) att generaliserad tillit skapas när ett tillitsnätverk integreras av staten. Resultaten visar att även om stöd finns för samtliga fem hypoteser, är stödet starkast för den sista. Länder som producerar och distribuerar välfärd på ett sätt som främjar interaktion mellan olika nätverk uppvisar högre grad av generaliserad tillit än länder som snarare uppmuntrar interaktion inom slutna nätverk. Vi drar därför slutsatsen att det finns goda skäl att betrakta tillit som ett mått på integration.

Background. Satisfaction with democracy and generalized trust has shown to be able to link to the cultural marginalization within a society. Research concerning the correlation satisfaction with democracy and generalized trust shows that there is a significant positive correlation between the variables. Material and method. The national representative SOM-enquiry from 2020 was used to study the relationship between satisfaction with democracy and generalized trust. In total, 22 500 individuals between the ages of 16 and 85 was selected (simple random sampling). A total of 11 127 respondents reported on every question in the total enquiry (including the control variables). The part that this study is based on included a probability sample of 3 750 people. The number of respondents in which this study is based on, was 1 863 respondents, which adds up to a response rate of 51 percent of the population surveyed. Multiple regression analysis with 5000 bootstrap iterations was used to study the correlation and control for the background variables. Results. A medium strong positive correlation was detected between satisfaction with democracy and generalized trust even after the result was controlled for gender, education and income. However, the association did not persist when controlling for the variables age and ethnicity. Level of education is a significant player for the level of satisfaction with the way democracy works in Sweden and the degree of generalized trust, the higher the level of education, the higher the satisfaction with democracy in Sweden and the degree of generalized trust. Conclusion. By investing in education, the interplay between satisfaction with democracy and generalized trust should influence cultural/social marginalization.