IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0237934.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Enhancing feelings of security: How institutional trust promotes interpersonal trust

Author

Listed:
  • Giuliana Spadaro
  • Katharina Gangl
  • Jan-Willem Van Prooijen
  • Paul A M Van Lange
  • Cristina O Mosso

Abstract

Interpersonal trust is an important source of social and economic development. Over decades, researchers debated the question whether and how public institutions influence interpersonal trust, making this relationship a much-discussed issue for scientific debate. However, experimental and behavioral data and insights on this relationship and the underlying psychological processes are rare and often inconsistent. The present set of studies tests a model which proposes that institutional trust indirectly affects trust among unrelated strangers by enhancing individuals’ feelings of security. Study 1 (survey on trust in a broad spectrum of state institutions), Study 2 (nationally representative data from 16 countries), and Study 3 (experimental manipulation of institutional trust) provide convergent support for this hypothesis. Also, the results show that the effect remains consistent even after controlling for individual dispositions linked to interpersonal and institutional trust (Study 1 and 3) and country level indicators of institutional performance (Study 2). Taken together, these findings inform and contribute to the debate about the relationship between institutions and interpersonal trust by showing that when institutions are trusted, they increase feelings of security, and therefore promote interpersonal trust among strangers.

Suggested Citation

  • Giuliana Spadaro & Katharina Gangl & Jan-Willem Van Prooijen & Paul A M Van Lange & Cristina O Mosso, 2020. "Enhancing feelings of security: How institutional trust promotes interpersonal trust," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(9), pages 1-22, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0237934
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237934
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0237934
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0237934&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0237934?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. La Porta, Rafael, et al, 1997. "Trust in Large Organizations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(2), pages 333-338, May.
    2. Luigi Guiso & Paola Sapienza & Luigi Zingales, 2016. "Long-Term Persistence," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 14(6), pages 1401-1436, December.
    3. Francisco Herreros, 2008. "The State and the Creation of an Environment for the Growing of Trust," Rationality and Society, , vol. 20(4), pages 497-521, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jaskiewicz, Peter & Block, Joern & Wagner, Dominik & Carney, Michael & Hansen, Christopher, 2021. "How do cross-country differences in institutional trust and trust in family explain the mixed performance effects of family management? A meta-analysis," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(5).
    2. Ivanov, Denis, 2023. "Institutional reforms and social trust: Quasi-experimental evidence from the Caucasian states," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 829-859.
    3. Milosav, Đorđe & Nistotskaya, Marina, 2024. "Unpacking the relevance of interpersonal trust in the blockchain era: Theory and experimental evidence," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    4. Palmisano, Flaviana & Sacchi, Agnese, 2024. "Trust in public institutions, inequality, and digital interaction: Empirical evidence from European Union countries," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    5. Eva‐Maria Egger & Sam Jones & Patricia Justino & Ivan Manhique & Ricardo Santos, 2023. "Africa's lockdown dilemma: High poverty and low trust," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(7), pages 1648-1666, October.
    6. Song Zhou & Qingli Guan & Huaqi Yang & Yiheng Cao, 2024. "Navigating the social media landscape: unraveling the intricacies of safety perceptions," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. Andrea Pronti & Roberto Zoboli, 2024. "Institutional Quality, Trust in Institutions, and Waste Recycling Performance in the EU27," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-18, January.
    8. Laurence, James & Sprong, Stefanie & McGinnity, Frances & Russell, Helen & Hingre, Garance, 2024. "Changing social and political attitudes in Ireland and Northern Ireland," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS170.
    9. Hajikhameneh, Aidin, 2024. "Reputation or court: Individualism, collectivism, and the choice of enforcement mechanism in exchange," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 184-206.
    10. Wegenast, Tim & Richetta, Cécile & Krauser, Mario & Leibik, Alexander, 2022. "Grabbed trust? The impact of large-scale land acquisitions on social trust in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    11. Sou Hyun Jang, 2022. "Social-ecological factors related to preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(3), pages 1-14, March.
    12. Arelys López-Concepción & Ana Gil-Lacruz & Isabel Saz-Gil & Víctor Bazán-Monasterio, 2022. "Social Well-Being for a Sustainable Future: The Influence of Trust in Big Business and Banks on Perceptions of Technological Development from a Life Satisfaction Perspective in Latin America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    13. Andrea F.M. Martinangeli & Marina Povitkina & Sverker C. Jagers & Bo Rothstein, 2020. "Institutional Quality Causes Social Trust: Experimental Evidence on Trusting Under the Shadow of Doubt," Working Papers tax-mpg-rps-2020-04, Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yann Algan & Clément Malgouyres & Thierry Mayer & Mathias Thoenig, 2022. "The Economic Incentives of Cultural Transmission: Spatial Evidence from Naming Patterns Across France," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(642), pages 437-470.
    2. Philippe Aghion & Yann Algan & Pierre Cahuc, 2008. "Can Policy Interact with Culture? Minimum Wage and the Quality of Labor Relations," Working Papers hal-00972820, HAL.
    3. Amore, Mario Daniele & Epure, Mircea, 2021. "Riding out of a financial crisis: The joint effect of trust and corporate ownership," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 92-109.
    4. Litina, Anastasia, 2012. "Unfavorable land endowment, cooperation, and reversal of fortune," MPRA Paper 39702, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Algan, Yann & Cahuc, Pierre, 2014. "Trust, Growth, and Well-Being: New Evidence and Policy Implications," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 2, pages 49-120, Elsevier.
    6. Xin, Guangyi, 2017. "Trust and Economic Performance: A Panel Study," MPRA Paper 80815, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Mario Daniele Amore & Danny Miller, 2025. "The role of culture in family firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 64(2), pages 261-278, February.
    8. Blaine G Robbins, 2012. "A Blessing and a Curse? Political Institutions in the Growth and Decay of Generalized Trust: A Cross-National Panel Analysis, 1980–2009," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(4), pages 1-14, April.
    9. Adrian Chadi & Matthias Krapf, 2017. "The Protestant Fiscal Ethic: Religious Confession And Euro Skepticism In Germany," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(4), pages 1813-1832, October.
    10. Christoph Hauser, 2015. "Effects of Employee Social Capital on Wage Satisfaction, Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment," Working Papers 2015-12, Faculty of Economics and Statistics, Universität Innsbruck.
    11. Okada, Akira, 2020. "The cultural transmission of trust and trustworthiness," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 53-69.
    12. Conzo, Pierluigi & Salustri, Francesco, 2019. "A war is forever: The long-run effects of early exposure to World War II on trust," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    13. Riccardo Crescenzi & Luisa Gagliardi & Marco Percoco, 2013. "The ‘Bright’ Side of Social Capital: How ‘Bridging’ Makes Italian Provinces More Innovative," Advances in Spatial Science, in: Riccardo Crescenzi & Marco Percoco (ed.), Geography, Institutions and Regional Economic Performance, edition 127, pages 143-164, Springer.
    14. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/3gpul0a2209cuatfpgqv8qt14j is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Joseph Stiglitz & Jean-Paul Fitoussi & Martine Durand, 2018. "For Good Measure," Working Papers hal-03393118, HAL.
    16. Moretti, Luigi, 2014. "Local financial development, socio-institutional environment, and firm productivity: Evidence from Italy," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 38-51.
    17. Argentiero, Amedeo & Cerqueti, Roy & Sabatini, Fabio, 2021. "Does social capital explain the Solow residual? A DSGE approach," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 35-53.
    18. Mauro, Luciano & Pigliaru, Francesco & Carmeci, Gaetano, 2023. "Decentralization, social capital, and regional growth: The case of the Italian North-South divide," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    19. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/33o86cn6qp83dot08iir97915s is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Christan Bjørnskov & Miguel Ángel Borrella‐Mas & Martin Rode, 2022. "The economics of change and stability in social trust: Evidence from (and for) Catalan secession," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(2), pages 275-297, July.
    21. De Juan, Alexander & Koos, Carlo, 2019. "The historical roots of cooperative behavior—Evidence from eastern Congo," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 100-112.
    22. Luigi Guiso & Paola Sapienza & Luigi Zingales, 2007. "Social Capital as Good Culture," Economics Working Papers ECO2007/57, European University Institute.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0237934. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.