Revisiting the “Trust Radius” question: Individualism, Collectivism, and Trust Radius in South Korea

• In Event: 3465 - Social Capital and Trust

Abstract

Building on recent studies on the “trust radius” problem in generalized trust, this study proposes a new measure of trust radius that is conceptually straightforward and flexible as it is based on widely available survey questions and can be applied to individual-level analysis. Applying this measure to new nationally representative survey data from South Korea, we show that Koreans have a strikingly short trust radius that is limited to the most intimate social circles. Our analysis suggests that trust radius is related to both daily social experiences and cultural values. In particular, we show that respondents with strong collectivist values have a longer trust radius; whereas those with strong individualist values have a shorter radius. This finding contradicts previous studies based on cross-national data, which have found the opposite, and suggests that we cannot generalize the relationship between cultural values and trust found in cross-national studies to the individual-level relationship within a country. We conclude with the discussion of the implications of our findings for future research on social trust.

Authors

• Chaeyoon Lim, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Dong-Kyun Im, Seoul National University