ABSTRACT
Trust in other people is the foundation of social solidarity. Generalized trust, the belief that “most people can be trusted,” helps connect us to people who are different from ourselves. Generalized trusters are tolerant of immigrants and minorities and support equal rights for women and gays. Yet, they also believe in a common core of values and hold that ethnic politicians should not represent only their own kind. This trust of strangers promotes the altruistic values that lead people with faith in others to volunteer for good causes and to donate to charity, in each case helping people who are likely different from themselves. Trusting societies have more effective governments, higher growth rates, less corruption and crime, and are more likely to redistribute resources from the rich to the poor (Knack and Keefer 1997; LaPorta et al. 1998).
