In September 2011, “Civic Health and Unemployment: Can Engagement Strengthen the Economy?” was released. It found that states and cities with higher civic engagement rates saw less growth in unemployment during the height of the recession. One reason this might exist is the “Trust Hypothesis.” The hypothesis, as printed in the brief, states:


Participation in civil society is strongly correlated with trust in other people. Although measures of trust are not included in this analysis, most studies find that trusting other people encourages individuals to join groups, and participating in groups builds trust. In turn, trust is a powerful predictor of economic success because people who trust are more likely to enter contracts and business partnerships, and confidence in others is a precondition for investing and hiring.



We want to hear from you: Do you agree or disagree with this hypothesis? Why? Do you have data or stories that illustrate this story? Please share them.

In the “Continue Reading” section below, you can scroll through and comment on the other hypotheses we’ve proposed about why this connection exists.