Traditionally I've deferred to the "World Values Survey" by Inglehart, et al. when trying to parse macro level differences between societies because they control and translate the survey very well. I'd usually control for xenophobia, eg China has a large Han majority and the US a declining White majority, which substantially complicates this kind of nation-level data, but the raw numbers are significantly different enough that it's not that important.
https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSContents.jsp
Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you need to be very careful in dealing with people?
China (2018, latest, N=3036) Most people can be trusted:63.5% Need to be very careful:35.7%
United States (2011, latest, N=2232) Most people can be trusted:34.8% Need to be very careful:64.3%
I would imagine their Wave 8 (2022->) data for either nation, if surveyed, post-pandemic/now-endemic COVID-19, will see significant slides compared to these snapshots... that's generally been the trend with countries with Wave 7 data captured in the aftermath compared to prior years. It's probably worth noting that like other US-specific/less directly comparable studies, trust amongst the younger generations in the US is lower than older ones. It's typically inverted in Chinese surveys, where the older people are slightly more distrustful than younger people.
America was a trust-based society for a long time. Well, in some parts, anyway. I can remember appealing to total strangers for aid and receiving it with a smile. Also having strangers come up to me and I'd help them out.
I suppose I didn't grow up in the urban area of a big city, which helped. I'd always see these movies based in New York where people were assholes to each other, and I just couldn't figure out why those people would be so mean. Doesn't it make you feel good inside to help people?
the closer you are to a sucking whirlwind of human misery, the harder it is to stay open like that. when you're just trying to get somewhere and people come up to you multiple times per block trying to sell you something, scam you, or beg for help it is terrible and exhausting. this is why cities like New York normalize a default reaction of "fuck you, get out of my face."
I think it has to do with population density. Living in a city of millions gives a sense of anonymity. Even if you've lived there for decades, you step outside and it's a sea of strangers.
In smaller towns or suburbs, people know each other. If someone scams you, word will get around. That makes it much easier to trust others, because there is more communal accountability.
The US has very low population density, more suburbs and small towns while China is full of mega cities. I can see why the average Chinese person is more distrustful than the average American.
And yet this doesn't match up at all with the World Values Survey posted above.
What makes far more sense to me is that people become more or less trusting based on their perception of threat to themselves. In China, where things have generally gotten better over the last couple generations, trust is up - but in America, where things have generally gotten worse over the same period, trust is down.
I've always been told people on the east coast are assholes. A friend said when he visited a coastal town in California it was like being in a Disney movie.
I refuse to believe that Americans have more trust in strangers
Traditionally I've deferred to the "World Values Survey" by Inglehart, et al. when trying to parse macro level differences between societies because they control and translate the survey very well. I'd usually control for xenophobia, eg China has a large Han majority and the US a declining White majority, which substantially complicates this kind of nation-level data, but the raw numbers are significantly different enough that it's not that important.
https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSContents.jsp
I would imagine their Wave 8 (2022->) data for either nation, if surveyed, post-pandemic/now-endemic COVID-19, will see significant slides compared to these snapshots... that's generally been the trend with countries with Wave 7 data captured in the aftermath compared to prior years. It's probably worth noting that like other US-specific/less directly comparable studies, trust amongst the younger generations in the US is lower than older ones. It's typically inverted in Chinese surveys, where the older people are slightly more distrustful than younger people.
deleted by creator
Yeah, and there's lots more detail in the raw data.
Could you tell me for each whether you trust people from this group completely, somewhat, not very much or not at all? Your neighborhood
[H]ow much confidence [do] you have in [Labour Unions]?
America was a trust-based society for a long time. Well, in some parts, anyway. I can remember appealing to total strangers for aid and receiving it with a smile. Also having strangers come up to me and I'd help them out.
I suppose I didn't grow up in the urban area of a big city, which helped. I'd always see these movies based in New York where people were assholes to each other, and I just couldn't figure out why those people would be so mean. Doesn't it make you feel good inside to help people?
the closer you are to a sucking whirlwind of human misery, the harder it is to stay open like that. when you're just trying to get somewhere and people come up to you multiple times per block trying to sell you something, scam you, or beg for help it is terrible and exhausting. this is why cities like New York normalize a default reaction of "fuck you, get out of my face."
Houston is the 4th largest city in the US, and there were no scammers and beggars on every block. Honestly that sounds like homeless-blaming.
Houston isn't dense, it's not the same kind of place at all
like put the whole population inside the loop and then let's see what kind of exciting social pathologies develop
deleted by creator
I think it has to do with population density. Living in a city of millions gives a sense of anonymity. Even if you've lived there for decades, you step outside and it's a sea of strangers.
In smaller towns or suburbs, people know each other. If someone scams you, word will get around. That makes it much easier to trust others, because there is more communal accountability.
The US has very low population density, more suburbs and small towns while China is full of mega cities. I can see why the average Chinese person is more distrustful than the average American.
And yet this doesn't match up at all with the World Values Survey posted above.
What makes far more sense to me is that people become more or less trusting based on their perception of threat to themselves. In China, where things have generally gotten better over the last couple generations, trust is up - but in America, where things have generally gotten worse over the same period, trust is down.
deleted by creator
Removed by mod
This was a really sus comment dude, what's your deal?
deleted by creator
wtf... :reddit-logo: :sus-deep:
I've always been told people on the east coast are assholes. A friend said when he visited a coastal town in California it was like being in a Disney movie.