AT A GLANCE
A global survey of institutional trust covering 119,088 respondents across 113 countries. This version includes a README, the raw survey data in Excel format, and a comprehensive codebook covering both individual-level and national-rate variables.
Key Highlights:
- Sample: 119,088 respondents from 113 countries
- Scale: Four-point (a lot / some / not much / not at all)
- Institutions: Government, scientists, journalists, healthcare, NGOs, neighbors, traditional healers
- Includes: README, full Excel dataset, combined codebook
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Respondents were asked about their trust in seven categories of people and institutions. The National Trust Codebook contains both the survey and national rate codebook files. With a minimum of 1,000 respondents per country, the dataset provides robust representation for cross-country comparisons.
Research Applications:
- Comparative politics and governance research
- Institutional trust and social capital analysis
- Cross-cultural trust measurement studies
- Global governance and democratic legitimacy research
Subject Terms: institutional trust, social capital, global survey, comparative politics, governance, social networks, cross-national
SCOPE & METHODOLOGY
- Geographic Coverage: 113 countries worldwide
- Smallest Geographic Unit: Individual respondent / country-level aggregate
- Time Period: See documentation for survey dates
- Universe: Adult populations across 113 countries
- Unit of Observation: Individual respondent (Survey) / country aggregate (Rates)
- Sample: 119,088 respondents; minimum 1,000 per country
- Data Type: Survey data
Data Collection: Large-scale global survey with minimum 1,000 respondents per country. Documentation includes README, raw survey data, and codebook covering both survey-level and national rate-level variables.
CITATION
University of Maryland, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences [distributor]. Global Trust Survey. BSOS Social Science Data Repository, 2026. https://bsos-data.umd.edu/dataset/global-trust-survey-dataset
FILES & DOCUMENTATION
Available:
- readme_global (PDF)
- data_trust_survey (XLSX)
- codebook_trust_national (XLSX)
Planned Additions:
- Blank Questionnaire — Original survey instrument in all administered languages
- Data Dictionary — Country ISO codes and trust scale value definitions