Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United States of America
United States of America: Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of was 37.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United States of America, 1984–2022
Source: Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United States of America is 37.0%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United States of America peaked at 50.0% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 34.8%, in 2014.
United States of America ranks 14th of 39 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 39.2% | — |
| 1993 | 50.0% | +27.4% |
| 1998 | 35.0% | -30.1% |
| 2004 | 35.5% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 39.1% | +10.2% |
| 2014 | 34.8% | -11.0% |
| 2022 | 37.0% | +6.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.2% | 39.2% | 39.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 42.5% | 35.0% | 50.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.5% | 35.5% | 35.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 37.0% | 34.8% | 39.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 37.0% | 37.0% | 37.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More social development data for United States of America
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 457,647 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,667 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,667 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0013 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United States of America?
- Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of in United States of America was 37.0% in 2022, according to Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 50.0% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.8% in 2014.
- How does United States of America rank for share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of?
- United States of America ranks 14th out of 39 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who think others can be trusted vs. taken advantage of. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
% of respondents replying "Most people can be trusted" when asked "Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you need to be very careful in dealing with people?" Possible answers include "Most people can be trusted", "Do not know" and "Need to be very careful".