Data that reflects the multi-dimensional and often elusive perceptions of trust held by individuals has many forms. You can explore some of this data in the drop down tabs under SOCIAL TRUST Data.

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Scale

One way that we like to think about this data is to consider the scales at which we talk about trust.

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Individual or personal

Local or neighbourhood

City or regional

National and international

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These are very interrelated but the nature of the questions, the effect of trust or mistrust, and the kinds of interventions or actions we envision to improve trust vary considerably depending on what scale we are talking about.

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Source

Data may come from government, marketplace, academic or special interest group sources. It may reflect national attitudes where individual participants are not geographically identified within a country but are simply understood to be with a given national boundary.

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European Social Survey

World Values Survey

Edelman Trust Barometer

etc.

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Style

Formal surveys may ask people to respond on a gradient scale (1-5, 1-10, and so on) to a series of standardized questions. Other approaches may collect narrative fragments generated by prompting questions or scenarios. Still others infer or observe aspects of trust occuring online in social media networks. Each of these approaches have implications for insight that can be gained, value for a given scale, and aspect of trust that is being examined.