Trust that people have in members of society in general
Generalized trust, also known as spontaneous sociability,[1] is the
trust that people have in their fellow members of society in general. It is often measured in
survey-based
social science research by asking the question, "Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you can’t be too careful in dealing with people?" This question has been included in the
General Social Surveys in the
United States, the
World Values Survey, and the
European Social Surveys.[2][3] Unlike many other human behavioral traits, generalized trust has been found to exhibit a moderate to low
heritability in
behavior genetic studies, implying that
culture is more important in the development of such trust than is
genetics. The significant cross-national variation in levels of generalized trust also supports a significant role for cultural factors.[4] It has been found to be associated with
intelligence,
happiness, and
self-reported health.[3][5]
Recent work in the organizational field indicates that generalized trust can change over time temporary as a response to daily work experiences and in a more meaningful way in response to major life changes and events such as taking on a new social role.[6]