Title: Americans and Social Trust: Who, Where and Why | Pew Research Center
Headings: Americans and Social Trust: Who, Where and Why
Americans and Social Trust: Who, Where and Why
An International Perspective
Why Do We Trust?
Where Do We Trust?
At What Age Do We Trust?
Other Groups that Have a Distinctive Take on Trust
Group Traits that Matter Just a Little – or Not at All
About the Survey
Add Pew Research Center to your Alexa

Content: Americans and Social Trust: Who, Where and Why | Pew Research Center
Americans and Social Trust: Who, Where and Why
Social trust is a belief in the honesty, integrity and reliability of others – a “faith in people.” It’s a simple enough concept to describe. But it’s never been easy to figure out who trusts, or why. A new Pew Social Trends Survey is far from the last word on a subject that has bedeviled philosophers and social scientists through the ages, but it can provide base-line answers to some questions and tantalizing hints about others. The telephone survey asked a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults three questions designed to measure their level of social trust. It found that whites are more trusting than blacks or Hispanics. 1 People with higher family incomes are more trusting than those with lower family incomes. The married are more trusting than the unmarried.