Abstract

This article examines the pattern of popular trust in public and political institutions in Ethiopia. The analysis employs individual-level survey data and uses ordinary least square regression to analyze the relative explanatory power of independent variables for variations in citizens’ institutional trust. The results demonstrate that citizens’ trust in public institutions varies extensively from one public and political institution to another. This article argues that institutional performance is crucial factor in explaining the source of citizens generalized trust in Ethiopia. This article concluded that citizens’ popular trust in Ethiopia is a function of their expectation of the quality of the services offered, as well as their evaluations of government’s efforts to provide services in a fair and equitable manner.

Key words: Citizens trust, public and political institutions, Ethiopia.