한국인의 대인신뢰 구조와 사회참여의 관계: OECD 선진 8개국과의 비교 = The Relationship between Interpersonal Trust Structures and Social Participation in Korea: A Comparative Analysis with Eight OECD Countries

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study examined the characteristics of interpersonal trust structures in South Korea and their effects on social participation through a comparative analysis with eight OECD countries. Previous research has typically conceptualized generalized trust as conducive to social participation and democracy, while viewing particularized trust as relatively detrimental. This dichotomous approach, however, has been limited in explaining how different types of trust interact and jointly shape participatory outcomes. Using data from the World Values Survey(2020), this study classified interpersonal trust into four types—integrated, generalized- trust-dominant, particularized-trust-dominant, and deficient—based on the relative levels of generalized and particularized trust. It then analyzed how these trust structures were associated with organizational participation and political participation. The analysis focused on South Korea and eight OECD countries with comparable economic and institutional contexts, using the deficient type as the reference category. The findings showed that although Korea was characterized by relatively low levels of generalized trust and comparatively higher levels of particularized trust, the trust structure most consistently associated with higher levels of social participation was the integrated type, in which both forms of trust were high. This pattern was observed not only in Korea but also across the OECD countries examined. The generalized-trust-dominant type also exhibited positive effects on organizational participation and political activities, though its impact was weaker than that of the integrated type. In contrast, the particularized- trust-dominant type showed limited effects on organizational participation and political activities, but it was associated with significantly higher levels of voter turnout compared to the deficient type, even in contexts where generalized trust was low. These results indicate that particularized trust does not uniformly hinder social participation and that the key driver of participatory engagement lies not in generalized trust alone but in its combination with particularized trust. By demonstrating that integrated trust structures foster social participation in both Korea and advanced democracies, this study challenges the conventional tendency to dismiss particularized trust and highlights the importance of trust configurations in understanding patterns of social participation.