The impact of trust on Russians’ participation in charities

Abstract

This article discusses the influence of the social and institutional trust on charitable activities of Russians. Two most common Russian charitable practices are presented in the study: monetary donations and volunteering. The paper explores theoretical bases and summarizes the results of empirical analyses describing the relationship between these practices and generalized and interpersonal trust as well as trust in non-profit institutions. Data of Russian nationwide representative survey (N = 1500, 2015) are analyzed using binary logistic regression to assess the impact of trust on Russian monetary and time donations. The authors reveal that trust in non-profit organizations prevails over general interpersonal trust as a factor that facilitates Russian participation in charities. The authors also conclude that institutional trust is a stronger predictor to donate money to charity compared to volunteering.