Diverse and Disunited? The Consequences of Immigration for Social Trust in Western Societies

Generalized social trust – trust in unknown others – is essential for cooperation between strangers and therefore lays the foundation for a well-functioning society. With continued immigration, scholars and pundits have questioned whether trust can be maintained in the face of an increasingly ethnically diverse populace. Despite an abundance of analyses, there is still only fragmented evidence on this question. Based on Dinesen’s work spanning more than a decade, the lecture seeks to systematically address the claim that immigration is a threat to social trust. The results show that while immigration does seem to have negative consequences for trust, these are relatively limited and overshadowed by other factors shaping trust.

Please join us for Professor Dinesen's Inaugural Lecture, followed by a drinks reception.

Lecture: 18:30-19:30
Drinks Reception: 19:30-20:30