Group-affirmation and trust in international relations: Evidence from Ukraine

PLoS One. 2020 Dec 31;15(12):e0239944. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239944. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

How can states with a history of recent armed conflict trust one another? Distrust between Ukraine and Russia aggravates security fears and limits hopes for a meaningful resolution of the bloodiest armed conflict in Europe since 1994. Hostility levels have risen dramatically between the populations of Ukraine and Russia after the events of 2013-2015. Political psychology offers two competing approaches to increase trust between the publics of different countries: appealing to an overarching, common identity above the national level vs. affirming a sense of national identity. This project asks which of these approaches increases trust towards Russia among the Ukrainian public. The study employs a survey experiment (between-subjects design) to evaluate these competing claims. The survey is to be fielded by a reputable public opinion research firm, the Kiev International Institute of Sociology, based in Ukraine.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Female
  • History, 21st Century
  • Humans
  • Internationality / history
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Public Opinion*
  • Russia
  • Surveys and Questionnaires / statistics & numerical data
  • Trust / psychology*
  • Ukraine
  • Warfare and Armed Conflicts / history
  • Warfare and Armed Conflicts / psychology*

Grants and funding

EC received research funds from the Department of Political Science, College of Social and Behavioral Science, University of Utah, for this project. AOP received a CARE Award from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Utah State University, for this research. The funders did not and will not have a role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.