Who Do Students Trust? An Exploratory Analysis of Undergraduates' Social Trust

Abstract

Trust is a necessary precondition for social cohesion, and by extension, institutional cohesion. However, there is minimal understanding as to what trust looks like among undergraduates attending college. This study documents the trust investments of 8,351 college students currently enrolled at 29 U.S. colleges and universities to document how trust levels may vary for different groups of students and across different geographies. To capture these trends in overall trust, we relied upon data derived from a supplement of the 2020 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). An analysis of trust self-assessments indicates a diverse and seemingly nuanced trust landscape on our nation's colleges and universities. In particular, we found disparate levels of trust across racial/ethnic lines and disability status, indicating that institutions need to recapture important yet historically marginalized constituencies' trust.