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Nonresponse Bias in Trust Surveys

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Abstract
Social trust is typically measured using surveys that ask people if they agree that most people can be trusted. A potential problem is that falling response rates plague these surveys. If non-responses are systematic, comparisons of social trust over time will be biased. We examine social and legal trust among non-respondents by conducting a classroom survey where the first part included questions on social and institutional trust and is answered during class, whereas a second part of the survey is handed in by respondents later. Surveys from 300 Danish and Swedish university students suggest that, if anything, social trust among survey responders are somewhat lower than among non-responders. Using two waves of the Swedish National Election Study, we also show that conditional on education; social trust is uncorrelated to dropping out of the panel survey.

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  • Bergh, Andreas & Bjørnskov, Christian & Öhrvall, Richard, 2023. "Nonresponse Bias in Trust Surveys," Working Paper Series 1455, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:1455
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    6. Andreas Bergh & Christian Bjørnskov, 2011. "Historical Trust Levels Predict the Current Size of the Welfare State," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(1), pages 1-19, February.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social trust; Legal trust; Survey data; Nonresponse bias;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C83 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Survey Methods; Sampling Methods
    • P48 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Legal Institutions; Property Rights; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Regional Studies

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