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How Good is Trust?: Measuring Trust and its Role for the Progress of Societies

Author

Listed:
  • Adolfo Morrone

    (Italian National Institute of Statistics)

  • Noemi Tontoranelli

    (Unicredit)

  • Giulia Ranuzzi

    (OECD)

Abstract

This paper investigates the notion and role of trust in modern societies as a first step towards the construction of indicators that could better inform our understanding of societal progress. Trust is commonly viewed as a proxy indicator of social capital, and a high level of trust is considered a factor that can enhance economic growth and social well-being. Indicators of trust inform about the quality of people’s interactions with others, hence on their assessment of the extent to which other people in the community are perceived as potential partners rather than as rivals. The paper, starting from the various notions and theories of trust provided in literature, discusses different definitions of trust, its various dimensions (i.e. interpersonal and institutional trust), their relation to the broader notion of social capital, and the different factors that affect it. It then overviews the measures currently used to assess trust, discussing their advantages and disadvantages. Questions assessing the degree of trust of respondents towards other people and institutions have been asked in dozens of large-scale surveys worldwide, and these data highlight systematic relations between trust and various dimensions of economic and social well-being. The paper concludes by noting the limits of available evidence and the scope for improvements through better survey design and more comparable survey questions.

Suggested Citation

  • Adolfo Morrone & Noemi Tontoranelli & Giulia Ranuzzi, 2009. "How Good is Trust?: Measuring Trust and its Role for the Progress of Societies," OECD Statistics Working Papers 2009/3, OECD Publishing.
    • Handle: RePEc:oec:stdaaa:2009/3-en
    DOI: 10.1787/220633873086
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. David A. Fleming & Alberto Chong & Hern�n D. Bejarano, 2014. "Trust and Reciprocity in the Aftermath of Natural Disasters," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(11), pages 1482-1493, November.
    2. Isaac Addai & Jelena Pokimica, 2012. "An Exploratory Study of Trust and Material Hardship in Ghana," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 109(3), pages 413-438, December.
    3. Fundiswa T. Khaile & Nicolette V. Roman & Kezia R. October & Maria Van Staden & Tolulope V. Balogun, 2022. "Perceptions of Trust in the Context of Social Cohesion in Selected Rural Communities of South Africa," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-16, August.
    4. Pisani, Elena & Franceschetti, G. & Secco, L. & Da Re, R., 2014. "Trust in the LEADER approach: the case study of the Veneto region in Italy," 2014 Third Congress, June 25-27, 2014, Alghero, Italy 197453, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA).
    5. Grillos, Tara, 2018. "Women’s participation in environmental decision-making: Quasi-experimental evidence from northern Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 115-130.
    6. Stephane, Victor, 2021. "Hiding behind the veil of ashes: Social capital in the wake of natural disasters," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    7. Paolo Biancone & Silvana Secinaro & Valerio Brescia, 2018. "Better Life Index and Health Care Quality Indicators, Two New Instruments to Evaluate the Healthcare System," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(2), pages 1-29, January.
    8. Isaac Addai & Chris Opoku-Agyeman & Helen Ghartey, 2013. "An Exploratory Study of Religion and Trust in Ghana," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 110(3), pages 993-1012, February.
    9. David Schiefer & Jolanda Noll, 2017. "The Essentials of Social Cohesion: A Literature Review," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 579-603, June.
    10. Floriana Cerniglia & Laura Pagani, 2010. "Does Political Knowledge Increase Support For Europe?A Cross Country Investigation Investigation of the Attitudes of European Citizens," Working Papers 198, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised Oct 2010.
    11. Mike Pennock, 2016. "Slower Economic Growth and Subjective Well-Being in the Canadian Context: A Discussion Paper," CSLS Research Reports 2016-09, Centre for the Study of Living Standards.
    12. Bogard, Jonathan E. & Reiff, Joseph S. & Caruso, Eugene M. & Hershfield, Hal E., 2024. "Social inferences from choice context: Dominated options can engender distrust," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    13. Motkuri, Venkatanarayana, 2018. "Some Notes on the Concept of Social Capital: A Review of Perspectives, Definitions and Measurement," MPRA Paper 86362, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. John F. Helliwell & Shun Wang, 2010. "Trust and Well-being," NBER Working Papers 15911, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Floriana Cerniglia & Laura Pagani, 2011. "Does Political Knowledge Increase Support for Europe? A Cross Country Investigation of the Attitudes of European Citizens," CESifo Working Paper Series 3369, CESifo.
    16. Giuseppe Albanese & Guido Blasio, 2014. "Who trusts others more? A cross-European study," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 41(4), pages 803-820, November.
    17. Cha, Moon-Kyung & Lee, Hee-Jung, 2022. "Does social trust always explain the active use of sharing-based programs?: A cross-national comparison of Indian and U.S. rideshare consumers," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    18. Alberto E. Chong & David A. Fleming & Hernán D. Bejarano, 2011. "Trust and Trustworthiness in the Aftermath of Natural Disasters: Experimental Evidence from the 2010 Chilean Earthquake," Working Papers 2011-15, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.

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