Egotropic and Sociotropic Retrospective Evaluations of the Economy as Predictors of Trust in Government

Abstract

Drawing on performance theory, this thesis examines associations of egotropic and sociotropic retrospective economic evaluations with trust in government in the Czech Republic. It tests whether sociotropic primacy holds after separating between-person differences from within- person change. Using four waves of the Czech Attitude Barometer (2024-2025) comprising 2,097 respondents, it estimates within-between random-effects models. In M5, both between- person coefficients are positive, but the sociotropic coefficient is larger; the within-person egotropic coefficient is null, and the between-person egotropic coefficient becomes null after adjustment for subjective income adequacy, leaving H2 supported but substantively fragile. Sociotropic primacy is supported between but not within persons, where the contrast does not establish an advantage, making it primarily a between-person phenomenon. Subjective income adequacy does not moderate the within-person egotropic association. More favourable within- person sociotropic evaluations are associated with higher trust, but estimated slopes include weak, null, and negative values and are imprecise with only four observations per respondent. The findings indicate that cross-sectional designs cannot establish whether between-person sociotropic primacy also...

Drawing on performance theory, this thesis examines associations of egotropic and sociotropic retrospective economic evaluations with trust in government in the Czech Republic. It tests whether sociotropic primacy holds after separating between-person differences from within- person change. Using four waves of the Czech Attitude Barometer (2024-2025) comprising 2,097 respondents, it estimates within-between random-effects models. In M5, both between- person coefficients are positive, but the sociotropic coefficient is larger; the within-person egotropic coefficient is null, and the between-person egotropic coefficient becomes null after adjustment for subjective income adequacy, leaving H2 supported but substantively fragile. Sociotropic primacy is supported between but not within persons, where the contrast does not establish an advantage, making it primarily a between-person phenomenon. Subjective income adequacy does not moderate the within-person egotropic association. More favourable within- person sociotropic evaluations are associated with higher trust, but estimated slopes include weak, null, and negative values and are imprecise with only four observations per respondent. The findings indicate that cross-sectional designs cannot establish whether between-person sociotropic primacy also...