Towards a unified measure of general interpersonal trust

Abstract

Trust is a well-studied attitude with many different conceptualizations, scales, and measurement techniques. However, the diversity of measurement and conceptualizations of trust can make comparisons between studies and instrument selection difficult. To help address these difficulties, we conducted 4 studies where we directly compared commonly used domain general trust measures. Study 1 (N = 155) compared 6 commonly used measures of trust (with a total of 10 factors reported in those measures) and submitted items in those scales to an exploratory factor analysis. We were able to identify 6 distinct, interpretable factors in those trust measures. Studies 2–4 (Ns = 234, 166, 355) reduced the 6 factors to 4 that were consistent with the theoretical literature: Confidence in others, belief in others’ reliability, belief in others’ honesty, and beliefs about others’ trustworthiness. Study 4 also suggested that the 4 trust factors were largely unrelated to sex, political orientation, and disgust sensitivity (discriminant validity). The 4 trust factors were associated with other, related factors such as the personality trait agreeableness (convergent validity). Some of the trust factors predicted decisions about acceptance of water recycling (predictive validity) and predicted that acceptance beyond what was predicted by disgust sensitivity, sex, and political orientation (incremental validity).

Keywords

• General trust
• Reliability
• Confidence
• Honesty
• Trustworthiness