“I’ll Pay Attention When I’m Older”
“I’ll Pay Attention When I’m Older”
Generational Differences in Trust
Beginning with the generation born at the close of World War II, each successive generation of Americans has become less and less trusting. This chapter explores generational declines in trust using data from an empirical study that compared conceptions of trust between two current generations of Americans. While they shared many similarities, the adults and youth in the study displayed a number of differences in the way they approached various trust judgments – for instance, in their initial willingness to extend trust, their openness to engage in certain trust judgments, and their inclination to forgive breaches of trust. These findings are discussed in light of existing research and theory on trust and civic engagement, and promising avenues for educational interventions are considered.
Keywords: trust, civic engagement, youth, education
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