Changes in Social Trust: Evidence from East German Migrants

Abstract

Using three waves of the Germany's individual-level panel data, this paper analyses whether there are any changes in the trust levels of East German migrants who move to the former Western German regions after the reunification. The results demonstrate that the duration of living in the West is positively associated with East German migrants’ trust and that the labour market is the possible channel through which social trust is fostered. This finding suggests that trust is moulded through contemporaneous shocks or experiences.