General Social Trust

1. In dealing with strangers, one is better off to be cautious until they have provided evidence that they are trustworthy.
2. In these competitive times, one has to be alert or someone is likely to take advantage of you.
3. Society will fall apart if the police power that counters criminal activities weakens.
4. One should not trust others until one knows them well.
5. Most people tell a lie when they can benefit by doing so.
6. When someone says something complimentary about you it’s because they want to get something from you.
7. People will take advantage of you if you work with them.
8. Given the opportunity, people are dishonest.

Response Options:

Five-point scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).

The overall trust score is obtained by adding the scores for the eight items: 8 is the most trusting, 40 is the least trusting.

PRIMARY CITATION:

Yamagishi, T. (1988). The provision of a sanctioning system in the United States and Japan. Social Psychology Quarterly, 265-271. https://doi.org/10.2307/2786924