ABSTRACT The relationship between religious belief and social trust, often positively correlated in the Western context, presents a distinct puzzle within China's unique social landscape. Against the backdrop of China's ongoing transition into a “semi‐acquaintance society,” this study introduces the concept of “trust in communities,” based on Anthony Giddens’ typology of “trust in persons” and “trust in systems.” Utilizing nationally representative survey data, this article empirically examines the effect of religious belief on social trust. Contrary to evidence from the Western context, our findings suggest a significantly lower level of generalized social trust among religious individuals in China compared to their nonreligious counterparts—a disparity that is most pronounced among Christians and those reporting the highest level of piety. Furthermore, the impact of religious belief is highly nuanced, varying across trust dimensions: Buddhists demonstrate a higher level of “trust in persons,” Muslims exhibit stronger “trust in communities,” and Catholics place greater trust in expert systems. These empirical findings suggest that religiosity in China does not simply compensate for the erosion of traditional trust but rather fosters a complex, belief‐specific pattern of trust distribution.
Xu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.