Young adults: Less trusting in general, but with exceptions

When researchers try to measure “social trust,” they almost always find young adults at or near the bottom of the scale.   In a Pew Research survey from April 2012, for example, only 29% of people aged 18-29 said most people could be trusted, versus 37% of all respondents. But ask them about trusting specific individuals or institutions, and a different picture emerges.

Consider a survey on trust conducted earlier this year for the AARP Bulletin. Not surprisingly, people said they trusted their nearest and dearest (spouses, friends, neighbors) the most, while such usual suspects as reporters, labor unions, CEOs and used-car salespeople were at or near the bottom.

But compared with people ages 50 and older, younger adults were significantly more likely to trust public officials (judges, the President, their member of Congress), labor unions and, oddly enough, their in-laws, while they were less likely than the older group to trust their bankers or their neighbors.

Read full article here from Pew Research Center