Question wording shifts measured social trust by about twenty points

Evidence

These data cannot be compared with responses to the standard trust question used elsewhere in this book, for the surveys cited in this note posed only the single phrase “most people can be trusted,” whereas the standard question offers a choice between “most people can be trusted” and “you can’t be too careful.” Adding the distrustful alternative lowers measured trust by about twenty percentage points. — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 1989

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the general problem of survey-question-wording effects on social-science conclusions, a recurring methodological theme. — connects to: Respondents who detect a test’s intent shift to socially desirable answering — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 815

Broader Connections

• Respondents who detect a test’s intent shift to socially desirable answering #expands (0.85) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 815