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The Relationship between Behavioral and Attitudinal Trust: A Cross-cultural Study

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  • Ali Ahmed
  • Osvaldo Salas

Abstract

We study the relationship between trust in an experiment and trust measured by means of popular survey items in different countries. Students from Chile, Colombia, India, Mexico and Sweden participate in a public goods game experiment and answer a set of standard attitudinal survey questions about trust. We find that behavioral trust and attitudinal trust significantly differ among countries. Behavioral trust is highest in Sweden, followed by Latin America, and lowest in India. Attitudinal trust is highest in Chile and Sweden, followed by India and Mexico, and lowest in Colombia. Further, the predictive power of survey items also differs among countries. Trust measured by survey items is significantly related to behavioral trust in some but not in all societies. No single survey item predicts actual trust across all countries. Plausible explanations of the inconsistent relationship between behavioral and attitudinal trust across countries are discussed.

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  • Ali Ahmed & Osvaldo Salas, 2009. "The Relationship between Behavioral and Attitudinal Trust: A Cross-cultural Study," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 67(4), pages 457-482.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rsocec:v:67:y:2009:i:4:p:457-482
    DOI: 10.1080/00346760902908625
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    1. repec:tiu:tiucen:200347 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Bellemare, Charles & Kroger, Sabine, 2007. "On representative social capital," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 183-202, January.
    3. repec:tiu:tiucen:200457 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Holm, Håkan & Nystedt, Paul, 2005. "Trust in surveys and games - a matter of money and location?," Working Papers 2005:26, Lund University, Department of Economics, revised 15 Aug 2005.
    5. Bellemare, Charles & Kröger, Sabine, 2003. "On Representative Trust," SFB 373 Discussion Papers 2003,27, Humboldt University of Berlin, Interdisciplinary Research Project 373: Quantification and Simulation of Economic Processes.
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    Cited by:

    1. M. Niaz Asadullah, 2017. "Who Trusts Others? Community and Individual Determinants of Social Capital in a Low-Income Country," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 41(2), pages 515-544.

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