Abstract
<jats:p>In this analysis the author aims to determine the conceptual features of previously conducted sociological studies of the determinants of trust in political institutions in Ukraine. The conceptions of trust determination of N. Luhmann, E. Giddens, J. Coleman, R. Putnam, F. Fukuyama and P. Sztompka are described. The tendency of their evolution has been identified, which consists in distinguishing various determinants of trust, deepening their interpretations, and, ultimately, generalising and integrating disparate concepts of trust determination. It is determined and argued that the cognitive capabilities of these conceptions are used to a limited extent in empirical studies of the determinants of trust in political institutions in Ukraine. A characteristic feature of some of these studies is the analysis of exclusively socio-demographic determinants of trust. The author also describes a number of empirical sociological studies of the determinants of trust in political institutions in Ukraine, carried out on the basis of the conception of political scientists W. Mishler and R. Rose. It is shown that some such studies are grounded on the principles of sociological conceptions of trust determination. The article proposes testing hypotheses in these studies using the statistical model of multiple linear regression, which however does not model the entire complexity of the structure of relationships between various determinants of trust. It is argued that the structural equation modeling (SEM) method is more suitable for solving this research task. In general, the scientific contribution of the conducted historical and sociological research consists in identifying opportunities to improve the quality of the conceptual and methodological foundations of empirical research on the issue of trust in Ukraine to the standards of global sociology.</jats:p>