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Religious Belief and Social Trust in the "Semi‐Acquaintance Society": Evidence From China.

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Title: Religious Belief and Social Trust in the "Semi‐Acquaintance Society": Evidence From China.
Authors: Xu, Licheng (AUTHOR), Li, Wenxuan (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Jun2026, Vol. 65 Issue 2, p345-359. 15p.
Subjects: Trust, Religiousness, Social capital, Faith, Social processes, Giddens, Anthony, 1938-
Geographic Terms: China
Abstract: The relationship between religious belief and social trust, often positively correlated in the Western context, presents a distinct puzzle within China's unique social landscape. Against the backdrop of China's ongoing transition into a "semi‐acquaintance society," this study introduces the concept of "trust in communities," based on Anthony Giddens' typology of "trust in persons" and "trust in systems." Utilizing nationally representative survey data, this article empirically examines the effect of religious belief on social trust. Contrary to evidence from the Western context, our findings suggest a significantly lower level of generalized social trust among religious individuals in China compared to their nonreligious counterparts—a disparity that is most pronounced among Christians and those reporting the highest level of piety. Furthermore, the impact of religious belief is highly nuanced, varying across trust dimensions: Buddhists demonstrate a higher level of "trust in persons," Muslims exhibit stronger "trust in communities," and Catholics place greater trust in expert systems. These empirical findings suggest that religiosity in China does not simply compensate for the erosion of traditional trust but rather fosters a complex, belief‐specific pattern of trust distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: Religious Belief and Social Trust in the "Semi‐Acquaintance Society": Evidence From China.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Xu%2C+Licheng%22">Xu, Licheng</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Wenxuan%22">Li, Wenxuan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Trust%22">Trust</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Religiousness%22">Religiousness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+capital%22">Social capital</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Faith%22">Faith</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+processes%22">Social processes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Giddens%2C+Anthony%2C+1938-%22">Giddens, Anthony, 1938-</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The relationship between religious belief and social trust, often positively correlated in the Western context, presents a distinct puzzle within China's unique social landscape. Against the backdrop of China's ongoing transition into a "semi‐acquaintance society," this study introduces the concept of "trust in communities," based on Anthony Giddens' typology of "trust in persons" and "trust in systems." Utilizing nationally representative survey data, this article empirically examines the effect of religious belief on social trust. Contrary to evidence from the Western context, our findings suggest a significantly lower level of generalized social trust among religious individuals in China compared to their nonreligious counterparts—a disparity that is most pronounced among Christians and those reporting the highest level of piety. Furthermore, the impact of religious belief is highly nuanced, varying across trust dimensions: Buddhists demonstrate a higher level of "trust in persons," Muslims exhibit stronger "trust in communities," and Catholics place greater trust in expert systems. These empirical findings suggest that religiosity in China does not simply compensate for the erosion of traditional trust but rather fosters a complex, belief‐specific pattern of trust distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194610093
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/jssr.70038
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 15
        StartPage: 345
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Trust
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Religiousness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social capital
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Faith
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social processes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Giddens, Anthony, 1938-
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: China
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Religious Belief and Social Trust in the "Semi‐Acquaintance Society": Evidence From China.
        Type: main
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      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Xu, Licheng
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Li, Wenxuan
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 00218294
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              Value: 65
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              Value: 2
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
              Type: main
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