Trust (Interpersonal)

What it measures

The scale measures how much a person trusts someone who is providing them with advice or information — believing that person acts in their interest, keeps promises, and is honest even when it would be easier not to be. Items span benevolence, dependability, and honesty, giving a broader read on trust than single-dimension measures, and use a fill-in-the-blank format so the "advisor" role can be adapted across many types of business relationships.

Response format

7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree)

Scale items

• I can count on my __________ to consider how his/her advice and actions will affect me.
• When it comes to things that are important to me, I can depend on my __________'s support.
• When making important decisions regarding my _____, my __________ is concerned about my welfare.
• My __________ usually keeps his/her promises.
• I can count on my __________ to be sincere.
• Even if my __________ were to give me an explanation that seemed unlikely, I would be confident that
• All but one of the blanks are to be filled with a short generic word or phrase describing the person providing the advice, e.g., financial adviser. The first blank in

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Convergent and discriminant validity evidence was provided by the original authors.

Citation

Grayson, Kent, Devon Johnson, and Der-Fa Robert Chen (2008), “Is Firm Trust Essential in a Trusted Environment? How Trust in the Business Context Influences Customers,” Journal of Marketing Research, 45 (2), 241-256.

Keywords