The Effects of Different Types of Sectarian Violence on Trust in State- and Societal Institutions

The study argues that disaggregating sectarian violence is essential to understanding its effects on institutional trust. Using survey data from the Arab Barometer and a sectarian events dataset, the author finds that beatings decrease trust in mediators like religious leaders and the parliament, while bombings unexpectedly increase trust in the army and legal system. Burnings primarily reduce trust in the courts. The findings suggest that the targeted Christian minority is affected differently than the general public, sometimes showing increased trust in the government and parliament following bombings.

• The study demonstrates that disaggregating sectarian violence into different categories is necessary because different types of violence have distinct effects on trust in various institutions.
• Beatings (unarmed attacks against individuals) lead to a statistically significant decrease in trust in religious leaders, the parliament, and the courts and legal system.
• Bombings (armed attacks) are associated with a statistically significant increase in trust in the army and the courts and legal system among the general population.
• Burnings (unarmed attacks against property) result in a statistically significant decrease in trust in the courts and legal system.
• For the Christian minority, bombings have a significant positive effect on trust in the government and the parliament, but a negative effect on trust in religious leaders.
• The research finds that Christians are not consistently more negatively affected by sectarian violence than the general public, contrary to expectations regarding in-group/out-group relations, except in the case of burnings.
• The author notes that high reported trust in the army and police may be influenced by reporting bias due to Egypt's military authoritarianism, where respondents may practice preference falsification out of fear.

APA

Aadalen, M. N. (2021). The Effects of Different Types of Sectarian Violence on Trust in State- and Societal Institutions. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/e635b451-43cd-4733-92e6-cba0e6ae50ab/The Effects of Different Types of Sectarian Violence on Trust in State- and Societal Institutions Evidence from Egypt.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Aadalen, Malin Nærum. The Effects of Different Types of Sectarian Violence on Trust in State- and Societal Institutions. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2021. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/e635b451-43cd-4733-92e6-cba0e6ae50ab/The Effects of Different Types of Sectarian Violence on Trust in State- and Societal Institutions Evidence from Egypt.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aadalen |first1=Malin Nærum |title=The Effects of Different Types of Sectarian Violence on Trust in State- and Societal Institutions |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2021 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/e635b451-43cd-4733-92e6-cba0e6ae50ab/The Effects of Different Types of Sectarian Violence on Trust in State- and Societal Institutions Evidence from Egypt.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aadalen2021effects, author = {Aadalen, Malin Nærum}, title = {{The Effects of Different Types of Sectarian Violence on Trust in State- and Societal Institutions}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2021}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/e635b451-43cd-4733-92e6-cba0e6ae50ab/The Effects of Different Types of Sectarian Violence on Trust in State- and Societal Institutions Evidence from Egypt.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }