What Kind of Trust Do We Measure Using the Generalized Trust Question?

An Approach Based on Latent Class Model

Abstract

　The purpose of this study is to examine what kind of trust we measure using the generalized trust question. This study hypothesizes that respondents think some different kinds of trust when they answer the generalize trust question. This study extracts heterogeneity of trust respondents think by latent class analysis, using Japanese dataset. As a result, this study extracts four types of trustors; (a) general trustors, who show higher levels of generalized trust and participate all kinds of social groups, (b) parochial trustors, who show higher levels of generalized trust but participate local groups only, (b) inactive trustors, who show higher levels of generalized trust but do not participate any kinds of social groups, (d) distrustor, who show lower levels of generalize trust and do not participate any kind of social group. This result shows that respondents think four different kinds of trust when they answer the generalize trust question.