Revisiting the Trust Radius Question: Individualism, Collectivism, and Trust Radius in South Korea

Abstract

Building on recent studies on the trust radius problem in generalized trust, this study proposes a new measure of trust radius, which is conceptually straightforward and flexible, and examines its relationship with the individualist–collectivist value orientations. Our proposed measure is based on widely available survey questions, can be applied to individual-level analysis, and has stronger predictive validity compared with the most people question or a measure of radius used in previous studies. Applying this measure to a new, nationally representative survey data from South Korea, we find that Koreans have a narrow trust radius that is limited to the most intimate social circles. Our regression analysis shows that respondents with strong collectivist orientations have a wider trust radius, whereas those with strong individualist orientations have a narrower radius. Our finding on individualist–collectivist orientations contradicts previous studies based on mostly European cross-national data, which 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 nation. We conclude with a discussion of our findings implications for future research on social trust.