Trust in North America: Why Do Mexicans Distrust Their Continental Neighbors?

• Autores: Manuel Alejandro Moreno Muñoz
• Localización: Norteamérica, ISSN-e 1870-3550, Vol. 2, Nº. 2, 2007, págs. 63-84
• Idioma: español
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• Resumen

  • This article analyzes individual-level factors that help explain why some Mexicans trust Americans and why many more distrust them. The author develops a statistical model based on survey data that explains the determinants of Mexicans' trust in the United States government and citizens and compare it to trust in Canadians, Mexicans living in the United States, and other Latin American national groups. The aim is to identify structural and attitudinal traits and orientations among Mexicans to help us understand their views of their North American neighbors. The results show that Mexicans' trust in Americans is distinctive and particular and has a different rationale than that of trust in other countries and nationalities. Sharing some values and ideological orientations fosters trust, whereas sticking to certain types of nationalist sentiment -not all types- undermines it. A strong and distinctive predictor of Mexicans' trust in the United States is social interconnectedness, a bridge built by immigration.