The boundaries of trust: own and others’ actions in the US and China

Abstract

This paper examines the boundaries of trust and trustworthiness in the United States and China. In each country we measure how reported trust and trustworthiness change as the social distance to one’s partner increases. We also compare the influence of social distance on one’s own behavior versus its influence on one’s expectations of another’s behavior. We find participants in the US to be well-calibrated in this respect; actions and expectations move in similar ways in response to social distance. In China however, individuals report themselves to be more responsive to social distance than they expect others to be.