Royal Statistical Society
Social Statistics Section
7 October 2008, 5.00pm, at the Royal Statistical Society
(Tea from 4.30pm)
Trust and Trustworthiness
Diego Gambetta (Nuffield College, Oxford), Ed Fieldhouse (University of
Manchester), Patrick Sturgis (University of Southampton)
Citizen trust in social and political actors and institutions is currently a
key area of concern for policy makers, social commentators and academic
scholars around the world. Yet, despite the central position of trust in
social and political theory and empirical research alike, its origins,
conceptual status and socio-historical influence remain rather ambiguous.
There is also a lack of clarity regarding the meaning and validity of the
standard trust question used in survey which asks whether 'most people can
be trusted'. Does this assess trust in a 'generalised other', the
trustworthiness of the respondent, or something more akin to a personality
trait or core value? More importantly perhaps, there is confusion regarding
the causes of varying levels of trust across individuals, time and societies
and the consequences of declining trust for the effective functioning of
social and political systems.
This meeting brings together research which addresses three key issues in
the study of social trust
· A new behavioural measure of trust embedded within a face-to-face
survey interview
· An assessment of the effect of ethnic diversity of neighbourhoods
on the levels of trust of their inhabitants
· An investigation of the genetic basis of trust using a classic twin
design
The meeting will be chaired by Jouni Kuha (LSE). Attendance is free but
pre-registration is recommended. You can register by email:
[log in to unmask] or by phone (020) 7638 8998. For a map and directions
see www.rss.org.uk/findus . We anticipate the seminar will finish at around
6.30pm. For further information contact Jouni Kuha on (020) 7955 6835 or
[log in to unmask]
The meeting will be preceded by a short AGM of Social Statistics Section at
5pm, Tuesday 7th October at the RSS prior to the Section meeting on Trust
and Trustworthiness. It is expected that the membership of new committee for
2009 will be announced at this meeting. The Committee has nominated the
following to take Office from January 2009:
Ian Plewis (Chair)
Antony Fielding (Secretary)
Rosalyn Harper (Meetings Secretary)
John Micklewright
Bob Erens
Fiona Steele
Alison Walker
Tarani Chandola
Abigail Dewar
Jouni Kuha
Richard Laux
Jane Elliott
Patten Smith
New members nominated by the Section committee are John Micklewright, Bob
Erens, Fiona Steele.
Further nominations can be made by any member of Section (RSS membership
required) and should be sent to Paul Gentry at the RSS via email to
[log in to unmask] before the end of September.
Chris Kershaw
Sent on behalf of the RSS Social Statistics Committee
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