THE STRUCTURE OF SOCIAL TRUST: THE ISSUE OF INSTITUTIONAL HETEROGENEITY ACROSS COUNTRIES

Abstract

This study investigates the heterogeneity of social trust structures across countries, focusing on the relationships among interpersonal trust, institutional trust, and confidence in the armed forces. Using data from the World Values Survey Wave 7 covering 88 countries, the study applies correlation analysis, analytical grouping, hierarchical and k-means clustering, ANOVA, and distance-based regression to identify patterns in trust configurations. The findings reveal that institutional trust is highly interdependent, particularly among political, legal, and administrative institutions, whereas interpersonal trust exhibits weaker associations with these structures. Cluster analysis demonstrates substantial cross-country variation in the interaction between interpersonal and institutional trust, challenging the assumption of a universal trust configuration. Confidence in the armed forces consistently exceeds both interpersonal trust and confidence in most other public institutions across all clusters. After controlling for interpersonal trust, an indirect relationship emerges between confidence in the armed forces and institutional trust, suggesting that these dimensions may originate from different social and political mechanisms. The results support the hypothesis that social trust is structurally heterogeneous and shaped by cultural, historical, and political contexts. Confidence in the armed forces appears to function as a stabilizing mechanism supporting societal needs for order, security, and national identity, particularly in countries characterized by weak political institutions or limited policy effectiveness. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of cross-national trust configurations and institutional legitimacy.