View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

(Not) one of us: The overrepresentation of elites in politics erodes political trust.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: (Not) one of us: The overrepresentation of elites in politics erodes political trust.
Authors: Kesberg, Rebekka, Easterbrook, Matthew J.
Source: British Journal of Social Psychology. Apr2025, Vol. 64 Issue 2, p1-22. 22p.
Subjects: Stereotypes, Research funding, Human beings, Public sector, Descriptive statistics, Private sector, Trust, Practical politics, Educational attainment, Social classes
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
Abstract: Citizens in democracies are increasingly dissatisfied with democratic governance, distrustful of elected officials and view politicians as aloof and detached. We argue that this is, in part, due to the overrepresentation of elites in political office. We conducted four studies (N = 2009) in the U.K. focusing on the education sector. That is, we explore the impact of the overrepresentation of privately educated individuals—who represent >7% of the population but 30%–70% of the political cabinet—on political trust. Studies 1a and 1b measured perceptions and stereotypes of politicians, and Studies 2–4 manipulated the proportion of privately educated politicians in political institutions. Results show that trust in political institutions is eroded when there is overrepresentation of those educated in the private sector. We explore boundary conditions showing that effects are stronger for those who question meritocratic principles in the educational sector and that the effect is mediated through perceptions of deservingness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of British Journal of Social Psychology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
Text:
  Availability: 1
Header DbId: pbh
DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
An: 184713764
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: (Not) one of us: The overrepresentation of elites in politics erodes political trust.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kesberg%2C+Rebekka%22">Kesberg, Rebekka</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Easterbrook%2C+Matthew+J%2E%22">Easterbrook, Matthew J.</searchLink>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22British+Journal+of+Social+Psychology%22">British Journal of Social Psychology</searchLink>. Apr2025, Vol. 64 Issue 2, p1-22. 22p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stereotypes%22">Stereotypes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+funding%22">Research funding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Human+beings%22">Human beings</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+sector%22">Public sector</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Private+sector%22">Private sector</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Trust%22">Trust</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Practical+politics%22">Practical politics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+attainment%22">Educational attainment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+classes%22">Social classes</searchLink>
– Name: SubjectGeographic
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom%22">United Kingdom</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Citizens in democracies are increasingly dissatisfied with democratic governance, distrustful of elected officials and view politicians as aloof and detached. We argue that this is, in part, due to the overrepresentation of elites in political office. We conducted four studies (N = 2009) in the U.K. focusing on the education sector. That is, we explore the impact of the overrepresentation of privately educated individuals—who represent >7% of the population but 30%–70% of the political cabinet—on political trust. Studies 1a and 1b measured perceptions and stereotypes of politicians, and Studies 2–4 manipulated the proportion of privately educated politicians in political institutions. Results show that trust in political institutions is eroded when there is overrepresentation of those educated in the private sector. We explore boundary conditions showing that effects are stronger for those who question meritocratic principles in the educational sector and that the effect is mediated through perceptions of deservingness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of British Journal of Social Psychology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=184713764
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/bjso.12885
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 22
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Stereotypes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research funding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Human beings
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public sector
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Private sector
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Trust
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Practical politics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational attainment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social classes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: United Kingdom
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: (Not) one of us: The overrepresentation of elites in politics erodes political trust.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Kesberg, Rebekka
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Easterbrook, Matthew J.
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 04
              Text: Apr2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 01446665
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 64
            – Type: issue
              Value: 2
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: British Journal of Social Psychology
              Type: main
ResultId 1