Från generell tillit till gatusmart. Gymnasieungdomar i Stockholm om social tillit

Abstract

Generalized trust is favorable to a large number of positive efects; from personal well-being to economic growth and democracy. This article analyses the validity of the standard question “Do you believe in general that most people can be trusted or that one cannot be too careful when dealing with others?” The article builds on unique quantitative and qualitative data collected by the author in seven schools in the municipality of Stockholm. The results show that a relatively large share of the students has a rational understanding of the question: their trust is domainspecific, depends on the situation and on the character of the person they meet, their trust is “street-smart”. Some systematic variation is also observed between diferent types of schools. The findings also indicate that the standard question overestimate the level of generalized trust among respondents.