Can Most People Be Trusted? The Data Says...

Social trust data reveals deep cultural and economic divides.

Author

Philip Saparov
February 24, 2026

In partnership with

Greetings, thoughtful architect of your future,

Before you choose where to invest, retire, or build a life, consider one quiet force that shapes everything: trust. In some countries, agreements flow easily and streets feel safer. In others, caution adds friction to daily life.

For decades, global surveys have asked a simple question: “Can most people be trusted?” The answers reveal far more than cultural quirks — they signal where opportunity, safety, and prosperity are most likely to thrive.

Let’s explore the geography of trust.

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1. The Nordic Advantage: Where Trust Is the Default

Some nations still operate on what feels like an honor system — and it works.

In 🇳🇴 Norway, 🇫🇮 Finland, and 🇩🇰 Denmark, roughly 60–75% of citizens say most people can be trusted. That’s among the highest levels recorded anywhere in the world.

This trust isn’t abstract. It reduces bureaucracy. It lowers transaction costs. It allows governments to function efficiently because citizens assume fairness rather than corruption.

Finland pairs high social trust with low corruption and strong educational outcomes. Denmark regularly ranks among the happiest nations globally — not by accident.

In rural Norway, unattended farm stands still sell produce with nothing more than a cash box. Theft is rare.

High trust doesn’t mean perfection. It means cooperation is the cultural starting point.

The trust map widens beyond Scandinavia.

In 🇳🇱 the Netherlands, 🇳🇿 New Zealand, and 🇨🇭 Switzerland, more than half of citizens typically report that most people can be trusted.

The Dutch built their society around collective water management — cooperation was survival. Switzerland reinforced trust through decentralization and direct democracy. New Zealand blends social cohesion with geographic isolation and strong civic culture.

In Switzerland, citizens vote in frequent national referendums. Accountability isn’t theoretical — it’s practiced.

These countries tend to score high not only in trust, but also in rule of law, safety, and economic resilience. Trust here is infrastructure.

The United States tells a different story — not of absence, but of erosion.

In the early 1970s, nearly half of Americans believed most people could be trusted. Today, that number sits closer to 30%.

Institutional trust has fallen even more sharply. In the 1960s, over 70% trusted the federal government to do what is right most of the time. Today, fewer than one in four say the same.

Yet America is not monolithic. Some communities retain high civic participation and strong local trust. Others struggle with polarization and fragmentation.

For retirees, investors, and families, this means geography within a country matters.

Trust in the U.S. has not disappeared. It has become uneven.

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Trust doesn’t always look the same.

In 🇯🇵 Japan, general social trust sits in the moderate range — yet public order is extraordinary. Lost wallets in Tokyo routinely find their way back to owners, often with cash intact.

In 🇨🇳 China, surveys often show high confidence in central institutions, while interpersonal trust relies more heavily on established relationships — what is known as guanxi.

🇰🇷 South Korea combines strong civic engagement with fluctuating institutional confidence.

In this region, trust may be less about generalized optimism and more about duty, reputation, and social harmony.

The result? Low crime, strong compliance, and efficient public systems — even when strangers aren’t automatically assumed to be trustworthy.

In much of Latin America — including 🇧🇷 Brazil, 🇲🇽 Mexico, and 🇵🇪 Peru — fewer than one in four citizens typically say most people can be trusted.

Crime concerns and corruption perceptions weigh heavily on social confidence. But averages conceal exceptions.

🇺🇾 Uruguay stands apart with comparatively stronger institutions and higher reported trust levels than many regional neighbors.

Where generalized trust is lower, family networks grow stronger. Gated communities, informal economies, and tight-knit circles compensate for weaker institutional confidence.

In some countries in the region, fewer than 20% of citizens express trust in their national government.

Trust, when strained, turns inward.

In parts of 🇷🇼 Rwanda, 🇳🇬 Nigeria, and 🇪🇬 Egypt, surveys show a familiar pattern: lower generalized trust in strangers, but strong trust within family, tribe, or religious community.

In Rwanda, institutional trust has risen in recent decades following national rebuilding efforts. In more fragile states, confidence in formal systems remains limited.

In some countries, people report trusting neighbors more than police. This is an important distinction.

When national systems are weak, community becomes the primary safety net. Trust doesn’t vanish. It concentrates.

Step back, and the pattern sharpens. High-trust societies tend to exhibit:

• Lower corruption
• Higher GDP per capita
• Lower violent crime
• Stronger public health compliance
• More efficient business formation

Economists call this social capital — the compound interest of cooperation. Low-trust environments carry what some researchers describe as a “trust tax”: more contracts, more enforcement, more friction.

For those considering retirement, relocation, or global investment, trust shapes daily life in practical ways — from healthcare reliability to property rights to the simple comfort of walking after dark.

Research suggests that even modest increases in social trust can correlate with meaningful long-term gains in economic growth.

Trust may be invisible, but its dividends are real.

Social trust influences more than headlines. It shapes how freely children explore, how confidently entrepreneurs expand, and how peacefully neighbors coexist.

As you evaluate where to live, invest, or build your legacy, look beyond GDP charts and climate tables.

Ask a deeper question: Do people here assume good faith?

Because where trust flows, opportunity tends to follow.

Stay curious. The world’s social fabric is always shifting — and understanding it may be one of the wisest investments you make.

Warm regards,

Shane Fulmer
Founder, WorldPopulationReview.com

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