Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Conceptualizing and Measuring Sense of Social Trust

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Social Mentality in Contemporary China

Abstract

Social trust plays a crucial role in the social life of human beings. It is not only an effective channel for individuals to reduce their psychological complexity and get their own security, but also an effective social integrated force maintaining social order and promoting social cooperation, harmony and stability. Since China’s economic society has entered its comprehensive transition phase, the interpersonal trust model built on the basis of familiarity and interpersonal relationships is facing unprecedented challenges. The trust structure of the whole society tends to dissociation and disintegration. Meanwhile, a new type of trust structure based on the spirit of the new social life has yet to be fully established. These two problems intertwine as society undergoes a “confidence crisis”.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

Chinese-Language Sources

  • Almond, G., & Verba, A. (1989). The civic culture: Political attitudes and democracy in five nations (D. J. Ma et al., Trans.). Hangzhou: Zhejiang People’s Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, F. (2012). The path of social participation in the market society: Relationship trust or universal trust. Society, 32(2), 84–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, J., Narisong, H., & Lu, C. L. (2011). Causal mechanism of social trust and grassroots community governance effect. Society, 31(6), 22–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Du, J. F., Rao, Y. S., & Yang, Y. Y. (2011). Analysis of urban residents’ social trust status. Democracy and Science, 4, 67–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fukuyama. (2001). Trust: The social virtues and the creation of prosperity (Z. H. Peng, Trans.). Haikou: Hainan Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giddens, A. (2000). The consequences of modernity (H. Tian, Trans.). Nanjing: Yilin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, R. (2006). Social capital and regional independent participation of rural residents in China. Sociological Research, 2, 61–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, D. F. (2011). Research in trust and regional economic development: Quantitative analysis at provincial and municipal levels. Pacific Journal, 19(11), 50–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, R., & Li, J. Y. (2006). Composition and influencing factors of urban residents’ trust. Society, 26(6), 45–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inglehart, R. (2004). Trust, happiness and democracy. In Warren (Ed.), Democracy and trust (H. Wu, Trans.). Beijing: Huaxia Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, Z. (2006). Social transformation of China: An explanation of trust crisis and reestablishment of trust mechanism. Journal of Xi’an University of Posts and Telecommunications, 11(2), 104–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, W., & Liang, Y. (2002). Special trust and universal trust: The structure and characteristics of Chinese trust. Sociological Studies, (3), 11–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, T., Huang, C. C., He, X. Q., & Zhou, K. G. (2008). What affects people’s social trust: Evidence from Guangdong Province. Economic Research Journal, 1, 137–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang, Y. (2011). Neighborhood (village) committee trust and residents’ participation in social policies for communities. Theoretical Investigation, 2, 143–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J., & Zhai, X. W. (2007). Trust and social harmony: Access to a research logic. Tianjin Social Sciences, 5, 62–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu, C. L. (2009). Social trust and governance of urban communities in China. Journal of Huazhong Normal University (Humanities and Social Sciences), 48(3), 32–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luhmann, N. (2005). Trust: A mechanism for the reduction of social complexity (T. P. Qu & J. Li, Trans.). Shanghai: Shanghai Century Publishing Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meng, X. X., & Wang, W. (2010). The current status, influence and countermeasures of social trust crisis. Research of Ideological and Political Work, 5, 21–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peng, S. Q. (1999). Creating social trust: Social relations and legal channels. Sociological Studies, 2, 53–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peyrefitte, A. (2005). Trust society: On the origins of development (H. Qiu, Trans.). Beijing: The Commercial Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2001). Making democracy work: Civic traditions in modern Italy (L. Wang & H. Lai, Trans.). Nanchang: Jiangxi People’s Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qiao, J. (1982). A rustic opinion on relations. Special Issue of the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 10, 345–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simmel, G. (2002). The philosophy of money (C. Rongnv et al., Trans.). Beijing: Huaxia Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sztompka, P. (2005). Trust: A kind of sociological theory (S. Cheng, Trans.). Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, Y. C., & Fu, P. (2008). The mechanism of social trust in the transition period: Discussion on marketization, personal capital and social communication factors. Zhengjiang Social Sciences, 11, 59–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tong, Z. (2006). The difference pattern of trust: An interpretation of interpersonal trust in rural society. Gansu Theory Journal, (5), 59–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uslaner, E. (2006). The moral foundations of trust (D. M. Zhang, Trans.). Beijing: China Social Sciences Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, S. G., & Liu, X. (2002). Foundation of trust: A rational explanation. Sociological Studies, 3, 23–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y., & Zhou, X. (2009). The difference pattern of urban residents' trust. Tianfu New Theory, (2), 102–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K. (2010). The spirit level (P. An, Trans.). Beijing: Xinhua Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xue, T. S. (2008). The logic of trust of the Chinese. Studies in Ethics, 4, 70–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, C., & Peng, S. Q. (1999). Conceptualization of interpersonal trust of Chinese people: A viewpoint of interpersonal relationship. Sociological Studies, 2, 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhai, X. W. (2008). Trust and risk society: Western theories and Chinese issues. Social Science Research, 4, 123–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Y. (2009). Interpersonal trust and social interaction of residents of different scales. Sociological research, (4), 113–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, W. Y., & Ke, R. Z. (2002). Trust and its explanation: A trans-provincial analysis of China. Economic Research Journal, 10, 59–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, Y. F. (2001). On social trust. Beijing: China Radio Film and TV Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, Y. N., & Huang, Y. J. (2011). Social trust crises of China. Beijing Cultural Review, 2, 18–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, B. S., Ren, J. G., Zhang, H. F., & Guo, J. Z. (1997). Dual relation of enterprise networking in Taiwan: Formation and efficiency. Chinese Journal of Psychology, 39(1), 75–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, H. (2011). State and characteristics of social trust during translational period: A empirical research. Guizhou Social Sciences Magazine, 10, 118–123.

    Google Scholar 

English-Language Sources

  • Alesina, A., & Ferrara, L. (2002). Who trusts others. Journal of Public Economics, 85(2), 207–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Almont, G., & Verba, S. (1963). Civic culture: Political attitudes and democracy in five nations. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Arrow, K. J. (1972). Gift and exchange. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 1(4), 343–362.

    Google Scholar 

  • Axelrod, R. (1984). The evolution of cooperation. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. (1983). The logic and limits of trust. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brehm, J., & Rahn, W. (1997). Individual-level evidence for the causes and consequences of social capital. American Journal of Political Science, 41(3), 999–1023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, M. S., & Mills, J. (1979). Interpersonal attraction in exchange and communal relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(1), 12–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delhey, J., & Newton, K. (2003). Who trusts? The origins of social trust in seven nations. European Societies, 5(2), 93–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deutsch, M. (1958). Trust and suspicion. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2, 265–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gambetta, D. (1988). Can we trust trust? Trust: Making and breaking cooperative relations (pp. 213–237). Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grimes, K. (2003). To trust is human. New Scientist, 178, 32–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson-George, C. E., & Swap, W. C. (1982). Measurement of specific interpersonal trust: Construction and validation of a scale to assess trust in a specific other. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43(6), 1306–1317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kramer, R. M. (1999). Trust and distrust in organization: Emerging perspectives, enduring questions. Annual Review of Psychology, 50, 60–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, J. D., & Weigert, A. (1985). Trust as a social reality. Social Forces, 63(4), 967–985.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malhotra, D. (2004). Trust and reciprocity decisions: The differing perspectives of trustors and trusted parties. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 94(2), 61–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709–734.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAllister, D. J. (1995). Affect- and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 38(1), 24–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishra, A. K. (1987). Organizational responses to crisis: The centrality of trust. In R. M. Kramer & T. R. Tyler (Eds.), Trust in organizations (pp. 261–287). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murnighan, J. K., Malhotra, D., & Weber, J. M. (2004). Paradoxes of trust: Empirical and theoretical departures from a traditional modal. In R. M. Kramer & K. S. Cook (Eds.), Trust and distrust in organizations: Emerging perspectives, enduring questions (pp. 293–326). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D., Leonardi, R., & Nanetti, R. (1993). Making democracy work: Civic, traditions in modern Italy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rempel, J. K., & Holmes, J. G. (1986). How do I trust thee? Psychology Today, 28–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rotter, J. B. (1967). A new scale for the measurement of interpersonal trust. Journal of Personality, 35(4), 651–665.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rousseau, M., Sitkin, S., Burt, R., & Camerer, C. (1998). Not so different after all: A cross-discipline view of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23(3), 393–404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabel, C. F. (1993). Studied trust: Building new forms of cooperation in a volatile economy. Human Relations, 46(9), 1133–1170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, J. A. (2007). Psychological foundations of trust. Current Directions in Psychological Sciences, 16(5), 264–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. W. (1997). Factors relating to misanthropy in contemporary American society. Social Science Research, 26(2), 170–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tocqueville, A. de. (1945). Democracy in America (Vol. 2) (H. Reeve, Trans.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf (Origin work published 1840).

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T., & Degoey, P. (1995). Collective restraint in social dilemmas: Procedural justice and social identification effects on support for authorities. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(3), 482–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber, J. M., Malhotra, D., & Murnighan, J. K. (2005). Normal acts of irrational trust, motivated attributions, and the process of trust development. Research in Organizational Behavior, 26, 75–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitley, R. D. (1991). The social construction of business systems in East Asia. Organization Studies, 12(1), 128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wrightsman, L. S. (1992). Assumptions about human nature: Implications for researchers and practitioners. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, M. (1994). Gifts, favors and banquets: The art of social relationship in China. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zak, P., & Knack, S. (2001). Trust and economic growth. Economic Journal, 111, 295–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zucker, L. G. (1986). Production of trust: Institutional sources of economic structure, 1840–1920. In B. B. M. Staw & L. L. Cumniings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 8, pp. 53–111). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing, China

    Shijie Jing

Authors
  1. Shijie Jing
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing, China

    Yiyin Yang

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Social Sciences Academic Press

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Jing, S. (2019). Conceptualizing and Measuring Sense of Social Trust. In: Yang, Y. (eds) Social Mentality in Contemporary China. Research Series on the Chinese Dream and China’s Development Path. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7812-6_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation