EFFICACY, TRUST, AND POLITICAL-BEHAVIOR - AN ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE A LINGERING CONCEPTUAL DILEMMA

Political efficacy and political trust are concepts which have become central to the study of political behavior, yet different studies continue to conceptualize and operationalize these variables in different ways. This study builds upon previous research in an attempt to clarify our understanding of the dimensions of political efficacy and their relationship to political trust. Evidence from three independent samples suggests that “input efficacy” and “output efficacy” are distinct attitudinal dimensions, that each is related in different ways to political trust, and that each may help us to better understand the psychological bases of political action. © 1979, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.