Is Trust Really There? Unpacking the role of trust in ethnic friendship networks of North Korean refugees

Using social network data on North Korean refugees settled in London, I introduce a relational model on ethnic friendship networks and present trust as an integral relational quality propagating refugee integration. The results show that not all ethnic friendship ties but those characterized by trust are related to better health, self-efficacy, and safety. Moreover, ethnic trust ties are distinguished by the resource flow in that financial and emotional support are uniquely available in trust ties, in addition to social companionship and informational access also available in mistrust friendship ties. These results demonstrate the social relevance of ethnic trust in facilitating integration and creating social capital for migrants.