National Elections as Institutions for Generating Social Capital

Using data from the 1996 National Election Study, we examine the impact of campaignrelated variables on changes in three individual-level orientations that contribute to social capital: generalized trust in others, trust in government, and external political efficacy. We distinguish four types of election-related effects: political mobilization, psychological and behavioral involvement in the campaign, solidarity ritual, and qualities of the campaign and the candidates. We find, first, that there were significant changes in all three orientations in a social-capital enhancing direction in the aftermath of the 1996 election. Second, each of the three orientations was enhanced by different aspects of the campaign. Finally, these three orientations are locked in a causal system, such that changes in one induce changes in the others. We discuss implications of these results for theories of social capital.