General trust scale: Validation in cross-cultural settings

Trust plays a critical role in all aspects of social functioning. In attempting to better understand trust cross culturally, a valid tool is essential. We conducted two studies to investigate the cross-cultural validity and utility of the Generalized Trust Scale (Yamagishi and Yamagishi 1994 ). In Study 1, the structural and convergent validity of the GTS was examined in a large Polish sample ( N = 727). Our findings provided important preliminary evidence for the validity of this scale in this sample. Subsequently, Study 2 compared responses to the GTS from two culturally different countries: Poland ( N = 203) and the United States ( N = 230). The structure of the GTS remained invariant across these two cultures, and the level of trust was comparable. As expected Americans showed higher levels of happiness than Poles, yet the relationship between trust and happiness was positive and similar in strength for both countries. Our data provide preliminary support for the use of the GTS in cross-cultural comparisons; however, consideration of data at the item level may also be relevant and cross culturally useful.