A Study on the Effect of Political Efficacy of Youth generation on Social Trust and Government Trust: Focusing on the Mediating Effect of Social Fairness

Abstract

The younger generation has become the focus of various policies proposed by political circles, including those discussed during South Korea’s recent 20th presidential election. Despite the prioritization of “fairness,” which is considered the most important value by the younger generation, and efforts to secure their votes, political circles have failed to gain their sympathy. Numerous surveys have shown that the younger generation perceives society as unfair, which leads to a decline in trust in the government and society. This study attempted to analyze the relationship between the political efficacy of the younger generation, social fairness, and trust in the government and society. To accomplish this, descriptive statistical analysis, exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and covariance structure analysis were conducted. The results indicate that the internal and external political efficacy of young people has a positive effect on government trust and social trust through social fairness. Thus, enhancing the political efficacy and social fairness of the younger generation is necessary to increase their trust in the government and society. The study concludes by presenting theoretical and political implications.