Seminarios del IPP "Measuring Generalized Trust”

Por Blaine Robbins (New York University Abu Dhabi)

Evento online a través de Zoom (enlace) [ID de reunión: 988 9425 3515 - Código de acceso: 837859]

Organiza: Francisco Herreros (IPPS-CSIC)

Resumen: In the study of social attitudes, generalized trust has been one of the most continuously examined constructs since researchers first introduced measures of it in the 1950s. Notwithstanding its importance, measurement problems continue to plague studies of generalized trust. Despite attempts by researchers to correct this deficiency over the past two decades, major advances in the measurement of generalized trust have been rare. In a series of papers (Robbins 2019, 2020), I tackle these longstanding measurement problems by designing two new measures of generalized trust: a Stranger Face Trust Scale (SFT) and an Imaginary Trust Scale (IST). In this talk, I review key findings from Robbins (2019, 2020) and present new discoveries from a recently collected representative random sample of U.S. adults (N = 1,264) and a follow-up study of a one-shot investment game (N = 600). Overall, I find that SFT is more reliable and valid than IST, which is, in turn, more reliable and valid than the standard measures of generalized trust. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Blaine G. Robbins is an assistant professor of social research and public policy at New York University Abu Dhabi. He studies trust, norms, collective action, and social networks. His recent work has been published or is forthcoming in Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, Rationality & Society, Social Science Research, and Sociological Methods & Research.