An Empirical Study On The Relationship Between Interpersonal Trust And Family Income/Occupational Characteristics

This study aims to investigate the degree of interpersonal trust within Chengdu using a GIS-assisted survey covering families, relatives, friends, colleagues, neighbors and schoolmates. Meanwhile, Chengdu residents’ subjective evaluations of family income and their occupational characteristics are also examined to analyze how their interpersonal trust is influenced by these two variables. This empirical study, despite its local sample, contributes to contemporary research on interpersonal trust in China.This study uses the date collected by GIS/GPS assisted sampling surveys launched by Professor Shi Tianjian. More specifically, with the help of portable GPS devices, this survey relies on area sampling based on high-definition maps. And801interviews were completed. Using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis, this thesis examines interpersonal trust, subjective evaluations of family income, and occupational characteristics. It further concludes that Chengdu residents’ current family economic status has a significant negative correlation with their trust in family, colleagues and schoolmates; their expectations of the family income has a significant positive correlation with their trust in relatives, colleagues and neighbors; however, there is no apparent correlation between their expectations of family income and their trust in families, friends, leaders of work unit and schoolmates. With different education background, the correlation between self-evaluation of individual income level and interpersonal trust varies dramatically. Moreover, respondents’basic employment situation is highly associated with their trust in relatives and the ownership system of the current company does not influence the respondents’ trust in any groups.