The Relationship Between Trust and Social Capital of China’s Urban Residents

This book analyzes the relationship between trust and social capital in contemporary Chinese society. It attempts to clarify the differences in degree among various types of trust in China today and the logic of social actions, hoping to provide a new perspective from which China’s local social relationship networks can be understood.

The book contributes to the field of contemporary Chinese sociology in the numerous ways. First, it improves the methods for comparing the ways in which different types of trust are measured. Second, it analyzes the regional differences in trust (especially universal trust) across China. Third, it discusses the impact of social capital (social relations and their embedded resources) on trust and tests the relationship for linearity and curvilinearity. Fourth, it explores whether the relationship between social capital and universal trust is regulated by institutional structural resources. The analysis of the regulatory role of structural resources paves the way for a more comprehensive theory of the relationship between social capital and trust.

The book will be of interest to students and scholars of sociology, contemporary China, and East Asian studies. It will also be a valuable source of reference for policymakers on the improvement of social institutions.

Zou Yuchun received her Ph.D. in sociology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Zou is now an Associate Professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. She also serves as the Division Chief of Social Development Studies Division at the Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Zou’s research interests are social capital, volunteerism and migrants.