How is Rural Different? Social Trust

According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, rural people have more social trust than those who live in cities and towns. Social trust is a belief in the honesty, integrity, and reliability of others.

In a nationally representative survey, Pew asked 2,000 people to respond to three questions to measure their social trust. Rural people had the highest social trust on the index (43) followed by those from Suburbs Near a Large City (39), Small Cities or Towns (35), and Large Cities (23). Social trust was rated on a three-item index with respondents split into three groups: high, moderate and low levels of social trust.

Of particular note is that Rural people are more trusting than those from Small Cities and Towns. Some education reports combine Rural and Town schools into a single category. The results of the Pew survey suggest there might be differences between these groups and that analysts should consider whether or not aggregating data for them is appropriate.

Americans and Social Trust: Who, Where and Why is published as part of the Pew social trust reports.