Income inequality and interpersonal trust in China

Two studies investigated the cross‐temporal and cross‐sectional associations between income inequality and interpersonal trust in China. In Study 1, a cross‐temporal meta‐analysis involving 141 studies ( N = 64,853) found that Chinese college students’ scores on the Interpersonal Trust Scale (Rotter, 1967) decreased 0.54 SD from 1998 to 2016, and that the decline in interpersonal trust across birth cohorts was explained by earlier income inequality index in China. In Study 2, a cross‐regional analysis showed that Chinese citizens in provinces with more income inequality (vs. less inequality) perceived the local government to be less trustworthy and, in turn, reported lower levels of interpersonal trust. These findings contribute to the understanding of the rising income inequality as an explanation for the waning interpersonal trust in China, and point to a crucial channel connecting income inequality with interpersonal trust.