ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3390-1165
Creation Date
5-7-2026
Degree
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Major(s)
Political Science (Pre-Law Concentration)
Document Type
Immediate Open Access
Abstract
This research examines how sex, race, and political ideology shape individual trust in state and national government officials, with a particular focus on Mississippi as a case study. Drawing on data from the Mississippi Poll (2010-2014) and the 2024 American National Election Study (ANES), the research analyzes both bivariate and multivariate relationships to assess how demographic and ideological factors influence political trust across institutional levels. The findings reveal that race and ideology are significant predictors of trust at the state level, while sex has little effect. Whites and conservatives are generally more likely to express trust in state officials, whereas Black respondents exhibit lower levels of trust, reflecting historical and structural inequalities. At the national level, however, these relationships weaken, and only ideology consistently predicts trust. The study also finds that ideology plays a stronger role among whites at the state level, among Blacks at the national level, and that trust is influenced by partisan alignment with those in power. Overall, the results highlight the complexity of political trust and demonstrate that its determinants vary across both social groups and levels of government.
Date Defended
4-28-2026
Thesis Director
Dr. Brian Pugh
Second Committee Member
Dr. Stephen Shaffer
Third Committee Member
Dr. Benjamin Tkach
Recommended Citation
Mattison, Holden A., "Trust in Government: How Sex, Race, and Ideology Shape Confidence in State and National Officials" (2026). Honors Theses. 192.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/honorstheses/192
Included in
American Politics Commons, Law and Politics Commons, Law and Race Commons, Law and Society Commons, Models and Methods Commons
