Trust is measured with three indicators. These are survey questions about the honesty, trustworthiness, and helpfulness, generically, of other people. They all show declines, especially the measures of honesty and help- fulness.

DETAILS
▪ “People are honest”: DDB asks whether people are honest. We combine those who say they “generally agree” or “definitely agree.”

▪ “Trust other people”: GSS asks: “Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you can’t be too careful in life.”

▪ “People are helpful”: the American National Election Studies (NES) asks: “Would you say that most of the time people try to be helpful, or that they are mostly just looking out for themselves?”