Measuring Generalized Trust – An Examination of Question Wording and the Number of Scale Points
Author: Sebastian Lundmark, Mikael Gilljam, and Stefan Dahlberg
Date: 2015
Abstract: Survey institutes recently have changed their measurement of generalized trust from the standard dichotomous scale to an 11-point scale. Additionally, numerous survey institutes use different question wordings: where most rely on the standard, fully balanced question (asking if “most people can be trusted or that you need to be very careful in dealing with people”), some use minimally balanced questions, asking only if it is “possible to trust people.” By using two survey-embedded experiments, one with 12,009 self-selected respondents and the other with a probability sample of 2,947 respondents, this study evaluates the generalized trust question in terms of question wording and number of scale points used. Results show that, contrary to the more commonly used standard question format (used, for example, by the American National Election Studies and the General Social Survey), generalized trust is best measured with a minimally balanced question wording accompanied with either a seven- or an 11-point scale.
Tags: Indicator planning, Indicator selection, Survey, Trust,
Full Citation Journal: Lundmark, Sebastian, Mikael Gilljam, and Stefan Dahlberg. Measuring Generalized Trust - An Examination of Question Wording and the Number of Scale Points. Public Opin Q. 2016 Spring; 80(1): 26–43 - Published online 2015 Oct 19. doi: 10.1093/poq/nfv042
Link to Resource: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4884812/
Date: 2015
Abstract: Survey institutes recently have changed their measurement of generalized trust from the standard dichotomous scale to an 11-point scale. Additionally, numerous survey institutes use different question wordings: where most rely on the standard, fully balanced question (asking if “most people can be trusted or that you need to be very careful in dealing with people”), some use minimally balanced questions, asking only if it is “possible to trust people.” By using two survey-embedded experiments, one with 12,009 self-selected respondents and the other with a probability sample of 2,947 respondents, this study evaluates the generalized trust question in terms of question wording and number of scale points used. Results show that, contrary to the more commonly used standard question format (used, for example, by the American National Election Studies and the General Social Survey), generalized trust is best measured with a minimally balanced question wording accompanied with either a seven- or an 11-point scale.
Tags: Indicator planning, Indicator selection, Survey, Trust,
Full Citation Journal: Lundmark, Sebastian, Mikael Gilljam, and Stefan Dahlberg. Measuring Generalized Trust - An Examination of Question Wording and the Number of Scale Points. Public Opin Q. 2016 Spring; 80(1): 26–43 - Published online 2015 Oct 19. doi: 10.1093/poq/nfv042
Link to Resource: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4884812/