Research Note : Trust in Governments and Public Goods in Japan

The purpose of this study is to examine how the Japanese people shape their trust in local and central governments, using the AsiaBarometer Survey 2008 data. We test the following three hypotheses; (1) trust in governments is shaped through trust in public goods; (2) trust in public goods perceived by the citizens is positively associated with trust in governments; and (3) trust in governments and public goods consist of two levels: central and local. Applying the structural equation modeling, we found the results supporting these hypotheses