High Interpersonal Trust Research Articles

How COVID-19 illness perceptions and individual shocks are associated with trust during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, France, Germany, and South Africa

The COVID-19 pandemic jeopardized individuals’ health and economic stability, and the associated shocks might have decreased individuals’ trust. In this paper, we study the relationship between subjective perceptions of the pandemic and individuals’ institutional and interpersonal trust (e.g., trust towards the government or health representatives), while considering objective health and economic shocks due to the pandemic as drivers. We collected data across Australia, France, Germany, and South Africa during a later stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., from mid-April to early-June 2021) when individuals had time to personally experience the pandemic and its effects. COVID-19 illness perception was associated with lower institutional and interpersonal trust. The health shock of having experienced COVID-19 was associated with higher interpersonal trust, while economic shocks were associated with lower institutional trust when they were due to the pandemic. The results suggest that public policy interventions in a later stage of a pandemic should consider objective economic and health outcomes as well as subjective ones, such as individual's perceptions. Authorities should communicate in a way that helps concerned people understand that they can take control of their health and the possibility of infection, and reassure them that health measures such as vaccination can help prevent the spread of the virus.

Determinants of trust in times of crises: A cross-sectional study of 3,065 German-speaking adults from the D-A-CH region.

Interpersonal trust declined worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic; strategies are needed to restore it. We surveyed 3,065 quota-sampled German-speaking adults residing in the D-A-CH region. Using multinomial logistic regression models and backward elimination for variable selection, we calculated multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to appraise correlates of interpersonal trust using the Interpersonal Trust Short Scale (KUSIV3). Participants with high levels of interpersonal trust (top KUSIV3 tertile (T3)) tended to be older, male, residents of Switzerland, university degree holders, and workers with higher income and work satisfaction (all Pdiff<0.01) compared to those in the lowest KUSIV3 tertile (T1). Optimism was most strongly associated with high interpersonal trust (ORT3vsT1 = 5.75, 95%CI = 4.33-7.64). Also significantly associated with high interpersonal trust were: Having voted in the last national election (for the opposition, OR = 1.39, 95%CI = 1.02-1.89 or the governing party, OR = 1.61, 95%CI = 1.23-2.11) versus non-voters; perspective taking (ORT3vsT1 = 1.46, 95%CI = 1.11-1.91); being more extraverted (ORT3vsT1 = 1.99, 95%CI = 1.53-2.59) and more agreeable (ORT3vsT1 = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.46-2.61); and scoring higher on complexity thinking (ORT3vsT1 = 1.32, 95%CI = 1.01-1.72). Participants scoring significantly lower for interpersonal trust did not regularly participate in religious meetings (OR = 0.61, 95%CI = 0.44-0.84, versus participation at least monthly); were more conscientious (ORT3vsT1 = 0.68, 95%CI = 0.51-0.91) or current smokers (OR = 0.68; 95%CI = 0.53-0.87, versus never smoking); had sleep problems >5 times a week (OR = 0.48; 95%CI = 0.36-0.66, versus none); and scored high on conspiracy belief (ORT3vsT1 = 0.53; 95%CI = 0.41-0.69). Results differed minimally by gender and country. These findings may be helpful in devising targeted strategies to strengthen interpersonal trust and social engagement in European societies, especially during times of crises.

Trust Associated with South Korean Sojourners' Chinese COVID-19 Vaccination Intent and Concerns: A Qualitative Study.

People's willingness to get vaccinated determines whether the campaigns against the COVID-19 pandemic can be successful in part. Considering the fact that both foreigners and its nationals are exposed to the risk of infection in China, the Chinese government has taken measures favorable to foreigners in terms of the vaccination, yet South Korean sojourners were reluctant to get China-developed COVID-19 vaccines. This study employed the trust in institutions and trust in media as a theoretical framework and seeks to analyze how these two affect South Korean sojourners' intention to get Chinese COVID-19 vaccines. 25 South Korean sojourners living in Beijing participated in semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the mistrust South Korean sojourners have in China's institutions and media, both traditional and social media, led to their reluctance to get Chinese COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, South Korean sojourners' higher interpersonal trust in their peers also influenced their willingness to get vaccines. This study further interpreted such results from the perspective of cultural traits and national properties.

Pre-colonial centralization and tax compliance norms in contemporary Uganda

AbstractThe paper examines the legacy of pre-colonial centralization on tax compliance norms of citizens in contemporary Uganda. Using a regression discontinuity analysis on neighboring ethnic homelands with different levels of pre-colonial centralization, we find that pre-colonial centralization is correlated with stronger norm for tax compliance. The result is explained by the legacy of location-specific capacity of centralized states in upholding authority and a strong social cohesion exhibited through higher interpersonal trust but not through trust in public institutions.

We're very grateful: moral emotions, role models, and trust predict vaccine uptake intent in India

AbstractThis study investigated determinants of the willingness to get vaccinated in India and examined the relationship between engagement in preventive behaviours and vaccine uptake intent. A large-scale online survey covering aspects of COVID-19 preventive behaviours, vaccination status, moral emotions, trust in others, role models, and socio-demographics was used. A total of 953 Indians participated in the survey between May and June 2021, of which 770 contained valid data on vaccination status. Past preventive health behaviours (PHBs) such as avoiding social gatherings, higher interpersonal trust, and moral emotions were robustly associated with the willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Results also showed that unvaccinated individuals were less likely to follow other PHBs, like wearing a mask; past COVID-19 infection status was associated with similar lower adherence to PHBs. Given the strong associations between positive moral emotions, like gratitude, and vaccine uptake intent (especially in the unvaccinated subsample), targeted communication interventions can boost uptake intent, and subsequently vaccine uptake, in jurisdictions with low vaccination rates.

Influence of Religious Practice and Church Interpersonal Trust on Spiritual Experience during COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic not only increased the risk of poor physical health but also brought about a crisis of spiritual health through restrictions on worship services. This study examined the spiritual health of Christians living in the era of COVID-19 and analyzed the role of personal religious practice and interpersonal trust in the church. To this end, 600 Christian adults were surveyed. This study found that women’s spiritual experience was higher than men’s and tended to be higher with older age and the length of faith. These results were linked to church duties, as duty holders had more spiritual experience than laypersons. Regarding individual religious practice and interpersonal trust, the group who frequently prayed and read the Bible and the group with high interpersonal trust in the church had high daily spiritual experiences, respectively. A comprehensive analysis through decision tree analysis showed that prayer was the variable showing the greatest difference in daily spiritual experience, while Bible reading was the second most important personal religious activity. Regarding church interpersonal trust, interaction-based trust and institution-based trust contributed to enhancing personal spiritual experience. Personal religious practice was reported as a more important variable in the promotion of spiritual experience than interpersonal factors during COVID-19.

Social Capital and Loan Cost: The Role of Interpersonal Trust

We argue that social dilemmas structured as investment trust games are a dominant feature in social and economic life due to asymmetric information, incomplete contracts and non-overlapping competencies that are typical characteristics of business relationships. We therefore consider that borrowers living in geographical areas with higher interpersonal trust are more likely to overcome the coordination failures typical of this kind of social dilemmas, thereby creating higher economic value and reducing the risk of their economic activity. Our empirical findings support this hypothesis, showing that lenders charge significantly lower loan costs on borrowers living in areas characterized by higher interpersonal trust.

A worldwide assessment of changes in adherence to COVID-19 protective behaviours and hypothesized pandemic fatigue.

As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, the possibility of 'pandemic fatigue' has raised worldwide concerns. Here, we examine whether there was a gradual reduction in adherence to protective behaviours against COVID-19 from March through December 2020, as hypothesized in expectations of fatigue. We considered self-report behaviours from representative samples of the populations of 14 countries (N = 238,797), as well as mobility and policy data for 124 countries. Our results show that changes in adherence were empirically meaningful and geographically widespread. While a low-cost and habituating behaviour (mask wearing) exhibited a linear rise in adherence, high-cost and sensitizing behaviours (physical distancing) declined, but this decline decelerated over time, with small rebounds seen in later months. Reductions in adherence to physical distancing showed little difference across societal groups, but were less intense in countries with high interpersonal trust. Alternative underlying mechanisms and policy implications are discussed.

Role of personal relationships in mitigating knowledge hiding behaviour in firms: a dyadic perspective

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the role of personal relationships (friendships) in mitigating knowledge hiding behaviour between managers.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a phenomenological methodology by studying seven UAE-based firms. Furthermore, 30 semi-structured (15 dyadic) interviews with senior managers are undertaken. The senior managers were chosen from multiple industries including plastic, frozen food, logistics, etc.FindingsBased on 30 semi-structured interviews and comprehensive data analysis, results reveal that the development of personal relationships between managers results in higher interpersonal trust, mutual loyalty, higher cooperation, strong mutual goals and cultivation of reciprocity. The result further states that these factors diminish knowledge hiding behaviour between them.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has some limitations. First, this study explores behavioural patterns concerning the United Arab Emirates culture only. Second, the results presented in this study should be quantitatively tested to demonstrate their generalizability.Practical implicationsFirms can use this study’s findings to understand how and why personal relationships between managers within firms diminish knowledge hiding behaviour.Originality/valueThere is a dire need for research exploring how knowledge hiding can be mitigated in firms. This paper addresses this gap by exploring the role of personal relationships in the knowledge hiding literature.

Institutions, Trust and Responsiveness: Patterns of Government and Private Action During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Why have countries responded differently to the COVID-19 pandemic? We explore the role of institutions in shaping the response of governments and citizens to the progression of the disease, both conceptually and empirically. We document a puzzling fact: countries with “good institutions” – strong executive constraints, the holding of free and fair elections and more freedom – tend to have performed worse during the initial phase of the pandemic. They have been slower to implement a lockdown and experienced a larger death toll. On the other hand, countries with higher interpersonal trust and higher confidence in government appear to have fared better. We find limited evidence of differences in mobility reduction by citizens based on institutions in their country.

Online News Addiction: Future Anxiety, Fear of Missing Out on News, and Interpersonal Trust Contribute to Excessive Online News Consumption

Following online news and updates have become an ever-increasing part of life in the information age. Surprisingly, however, there is no standardized measurement to examine excessive news consumption in the online context. This study was conducted in order to address online news addiction by developing and validating a questionnaire. Furthermore, this study investigated psychological determinants and consequences of online news addiction. A 9-item questionnaire was developed to assess participants’ maladaptive online news consumption. Exploratory factor analysis suggested a one-factor model including 9 items, accounting for 51.47 of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis showed support for this one-factor model. The results revealed that the online news addiction questionnaire had acceptable internal consistency reliability. Future anxiety, fear of missing out on news, and interpersonal trust were associated with online news addiction. High future anxiety and fear of missing out on news predicted the tendency to consume news excessively. Contrarily, those with high interpersonal trust expressed lower online news addiction. Additionally, online news addiction was a significant predictor of problematic internet use. These findings increase knowledge of online news addiction and indicate that online news consumption can be viewed as potential addictive behavior that may contribute to problematic internet use.

A Worldwide Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic-Policy Fatigue

As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, signs of “pandemic-policy fatigue” have raised worldwide concerns. But the phenomenon itself is yet to be thoroughly defined, documented, and delved into. Based on self-reported behaviours from samples of 238,797 respondents, representative of the populations of 14 countries, as well as global mobility and policy data, we systematically examine the prevalence and shape of people’s alleged gradual reduction in adherence to governments’ protective-behaviour policies against COVID-19. Our results show that from March through December 2020, pandemic-policy fatigue was empirically meaningful and geographically widespread. It emerged for high-cost and sensitising behaviours (physical distancing) but not for low-cost and habituating ones (mask wearing), and was less intense among retired people, people with chronic diseases, and in countries with high interpersonal trust. Particularly due to fatigue reversal patterns in high- and upper-middle-income countries, we observe an arch rather than a monotonic decline in global pandemic-policy fatigue.

Blindness enhances interpersonal trust but deafness impedes social exchange balance

General beliefs about social world may be altered by the sensory impairment that potentially exposes blind or deaf individuals to exploitive behaviors of others, however research in this regard remains scarce and underpowered. I measured interpersonal trust and social exchange balance in blind (n = 99), deaf (n = 74) groups, and compared it with sighted (n = 97), hearing (n = 100) controls. In the analysis of variance age, socio-economic status, education, and social desirability bias were controlled. Results indicate elevated interpersonal trust in blind individuals and negative social exchange balance in deaf subjects. Although the lack of vision or audition is not universally compensated by the increased performance of the intact senses, blind individuals develop high interpersonal trust, possibly due to the increased performance in the sensory tasks relevant to the social life. Deafness is associated with negative social exchange balance, likely because of the feeling of isolation and stigma reported by deaf people.

Beliefs about sharing illness experiences in chronic fatigue syndrome: the role of interpersonal trust and personality

BackgroundDisclosure of illness and illness experiences can be complicated for patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome due to the stigma associated with the illness. In this study, we evaluate the psychometric properties of the Beliefs about Sharing Illness Experiences (BASIE) scale in chronic fatigue patients. In addition, we inves-tigate whether interpersonal trust and personality characteristics predict self-disclosure in chronic fatigue pa-tients.Participants and procedureThe research was carried out in Rasht City, Iran. Participants were patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (N = 280) who were referred to Rasht pain management clinics in 2019. The psychometric properties of the BASIE scale were evaluated using content validity (CVI and CVR), exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirma-tory factor analysis (CFA), and Cronbach’s α. In addition, Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression were used to test the roles of interpersonal trust and personality in predicting willingness to share illness experiences in chronic fatigue syndrome patients.ResultsA CVI of .91 and CVR of .92 showed strong content validly for the BASIE scale. EFA and CFA supported a two-factor structure of the instrument. The Cronbach’s α of .94 confirmed strong reliability. Multiple regression anal-ysis revealed that positive beliefs about sharing illness experiences were predicted by higher interpersonal trust, higher extraversion, and lower neuroticism.ConclusionsThe BASIE scale appears to be an appropriate tool for measuring chronic fatigue syndrome patients’ beliefs about sharing illness experiences. Also, interpersonal trust, extraversion, and neuroticism play important roles in sharing illness experiences. These findings may be helpful in the management of chronic fatigue syndrome and other stigmatized illnesses.

Personal Relationships in Supply Chains

This study explores a determinant of escalation of commitment when a personal relationship is present between managers of buying and supplying firms in the supply chain context from an agency theory perspective. As there is very limited research in this area, a qualitative, case study method, employing ten semi-structured interviews with senior managers of buying firms was undertaken. Findings from this study reveal that higher interpersonal trust which develops as a result of a personal relationship between managers of buying and supplying firms compels managers of buying firms to escalate their commitment. Results also unveil that escalation of commitment increases operational risk of buying firms. Buying firms can use this finding to understand how and why their managers engage in an escalation of commitment when they share a personal relationship with a manager from the supplying firm. The paper concludes by discussing research limitations and future research directions.

Personal relationships in supply chains

This study explores a determinant of escalation of commitment when a personal relationship is present between managers of buying and supplying firms in the supply chain context from an agency theory perspective. As there is very limited research in this area, a qualitative, case study method, employing ten semi-structured interviews with senior managers of buying firms was undertaken. Findings from this study reveal that higher interpersonal trust which develops as a result of a personal relationship between managers of buying and supplying firms compels managers of buying firms to escalate their commitment. Results also unveil that escalation of commitment increases operational risk of buying firms. Buying firms can use this finding to understand how and why their managers engage in an escalation of commitment when they share a personal relationship with a manager from the supplying firm. The paper concludes by discussing research limitations and future research directions.

General and specific personality traits as predictors of domain-specific and general conditional reasoning

Personality and individual differences have rarely played a role in human reasoning research, and the sparse previous work has focused on Big 5 personality factors and reasoning in a very general sense. The present research expands this by using the HEXACO model of personality as well as more specific traits (interpersonal trust and reciprocation ideology), and examines conditional reasoning across three theoretically significant domains (social contract, precaution, and descriptive contents). Across two studies, greater trust (higher interpersonal trust and less reciprocation wariness) was associated with better reasoning about conditional rules in general. Concurrently, greater conscientiousness and honesty-humility were differentially predictive of reasoning about social contracts and precautions, but not descriptive contents. Openness was associated with reasoning performance in Study 1 but not in Study 2, and other traits of interest in prior studies (extraversion, emotionality) consistently did not emerge as important predictors. Further research should examine in more detail the effects of individual differences and personality on reasoning, and if certain traits may predict domain specific reasoning abilities. Such findings can provide both a new and informative method for assessing theories of human reasoning, as well as integrate the fields of human reasoning and personality.

Association between interpersonal trust, reciprocity, and suicidal behaviors: A longitudinal cohort study in South Korea.

While a growing body of evidence suggest that social capital including interpersonal trust and reciprocity might be associated with mental health outcomes, few studies have explored the relationship with suicidal behaviors. This research examined the prospective association between interpersonal trust and reciprocity and suicidal behaviors using the Korea Welfare Panel Study, a nationally representative longitudinal cohort dataset in South Korea. Interpersonal trust and reciprocity were assessed at the 7th wave of the survey (2012), and each measure was classified into two categories (low vs. high). Experience of suicidal ideation, planning, and attempt was assessed between the 8th (2013) and 10th wave (2015) of the surveys. After adjusting for confounders including lifetime experience of suicidal behaviors at the 7th wave of the survey (2012) as well as socio-demographic information, the low interpersonal trust group was more likely to experience suicidal ideation (OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.11-1.53) compared to the high interpersonal trust group whereas no statistically significant association was observed in the reciprocity analysis.

The effect of a budget-based incentive compensation scheme on job performance

PurposeThis study aims to examine the role of trust-in-supervisor and organizational commitment on the relationship between a budget-based incentive compensation scheme and job performance.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted involving 120 managers from Australian manufacturing firms listed in the Who’s Who in Business in Australia electronic database. A partial least squares approach was used to assess the psychometric properties of the theoretical model and proposed hypotheses. Data analysis was conducted using WarpPLS Version 5.0.FindingsThe results suggest that the reliance on a high budget-based incentive compensation scheme was found to lead to higher trust-in supervisor, which in turn resulted in higher organizational commitment and improved subordinate job performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is subject to the limitations of survey-based research.Practical implicationsThis study may assist top management to better understand the importance of designing an effective budget-based incentive compensation scheme to promote high interpersonal trust and organizational commitment among subordinates. Cultivating a climate of trust may help to enhance interpersonal trust between subordinates and their superior, which in turn may lead to higher levels of organizational commitment and improvement in subordinate job performance.Originality/valueThis paper elucidates and contributes to the existing literature by suggesting that a budget-based incentive compensation scheme can directly affect subordinates’ level of trust in their supervisor, and that trust-in-supervisor can serve as an antecedent to the development and cultivation of subordinates’ commitment to the organization, which in turn improves their job performance.

Connecting culture to creativity and innovation: how trust and other variations of corporate culture influence innovative behaviour

This pilot study examines the cultural conditions that support sustainable creative and innovative behaviour, what we term intrapreneurship, within organisations. The results, limited to mature organisations that operate in developed markets, reveal that especially the benefits of high interpersonal trust levels, that is, the extent to which colleagues quickly trust one another, positively influence intrapreneurship levels for several reasons. Further, cultures that promote high work refuge and a feeling of self-direction and purpose also demonstrated a strong positive link to intrapreneurship. Holistically, when all three cultural aspects are present, very high intrapreneurship scores were observed. This suggests that the management is prepared to accept some 'randomness' costs reducing efficiency in the immediate short run, for the benefit of potential upcoming acts of intrapreneurship in the long run. The study also examines some conventional cultural dimensions often connected with intrapreneurship. In this vein, it was found that high individualism and high decentralisation were not strongly linked with intrapreneurship. This provides depth to the popular perception that these cultural dimensions are synonymous with fostering creativity and innovative behaviour.