A Sociological Investigation on the Mediating Role of Organizational Accountability in the Relationship between Social Anomie and Institutional Trust (Case Study: 18 to 65 year old citizens of Shushtar city)

علوم اجتماعی دانشگاه فردوسی مشهد

Volume 22, Issue 1 - Serial Number 51, April 2025

Document Type: Research

DOI: 10.22067/social.2025.92317.1615

Authors

ali boudaghi^{* 1}; ali arabi¹; Saeed Rahimi²

¹Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.

²M.A in Sociology, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.

Abstract

In any society, trust is the prelude to cooperation. Trust in institutions and organizations, as one of the important components of social capital, plays a key role in regulating the social communication network, social cohesion, promoting the culture of participation and all-round development of the societies. The mentioned concept is influenced by various factors.

This study examines the mediating role of organizational accountability in the relationship between social anomie and institutional trust among 18 to 65 year old citizens in Shushtar city. The research was conducted using a survey method and 383 citizens were chosed as the study sample using the stratified random sampling method. The results showed that social anomie has a significant and inverse relationship with institutional trust; as the social anomie increases, the institutional trust decreases, too.

The descriptive findings of the current research showed that the average institutional trust among the subjects is lower than the average value. The research results also showed that social anomie has an inverse and significant relationship with institutional trust; as social anomie increases, institutional trust decreases, too.

A significant relationship was also observed between organizational accountability and institutional trust. The results of the path analysis showed that the model variables couldexplain 64% of the variance of institutional trust. Based on the findings of the research, it can be said that compared to other variables included in the model, the organizational accountability plays an important role in forming the institutional trust of Shushtar citizens.

Keywords

Social Anomie; Organizational Accountability; Institutional Trust; Path analysis; Shushtar city

References