--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-42/trust-deep-trust-productivity-and-well-being-in-136-countries/" title: "Trust, Deep Trust, Productivity and Well-being in 136 Countries" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T08:02:02+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T08:02:02+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Spring 2022" ipm_keyword: - "136 countries" - "Arrow" - "cross-country" - "deep trust" - "productivity" - "Smith" - "social capital" - "trust" - "well-being" - "World Happiness Report" ipm_research_theme: - "Well-being and living standards" ipm_country_focus: - "International" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # Trust, Deep Trust, Productivity and Well-being in 136 Countries Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-42/trust-deep-trust-productivity-and-well-being-in-136-countries/ # Trust, Deep Trust, Productivity and Well-being in 136 Countries [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-42-7-Hazledine.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Hazledine, Tim. 2022. “Trust, Deep Trust, Productivity and Well-being in 136 Countries.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 42 (Spring 2022): 142–164. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-42/trust-deep-trust-productivity-and-well-being-in-136-countries/ ## Author: - Tim Hazledine University of Auckland ## IPM Issue 42 Spring 2022 pp. 142–164 ## Related IPM articles [The Relationship between Efficiencies Defenses for Mergers and TFP Growth Robin Shaban Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 82–102](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/the-relationship-between-efficiencies-defenses-for-mergers-and-tfp-growth/) [Adult Skills and Productivity: New Evidence from PIAAC 2023 Dan Andrews, Balázs Égert, Christine de La Maisonneuve Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 41–63](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/adult-skills-and-productivity-new-evidence-from-piaac-2023/) [The Potential Impact of Pro-competitive Regulatory Reforms on Productivity and Growth in Canada Gilbert Cette, Jimmy Lopez, Giuseppe Nicoletti, Océane Vernerey Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 3–40](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/the-potential-impact-of-pro-competitive-regulatory-reforms-on-productivity-and-growth-in-canada/) [Appendix: UK Productivity Growth Rates Across Data Vintages and Studies Josh Martin Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 65–73](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/appendix-uk-productivity-growth-rates-across-data-vintages-and-studies/) [Opportunities and Risks of Artificial Intelligence for Productivity Francesco Filippucci, Peter Gal, Katharina Laengle, Matthias Schief, Filiz Unsal Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 1–26](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/opportunities-and-risks-of-artificial-intelligence-for-productivity/) [Eroding Natural Capital: An Alternative Explanation for the Secular Decline in Productivity Growth Christina Caron Fall 2024 | IPM Issue 47 | pp. 109–147](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-47/eroding-natural-capital-an-alternative-explanation-for-the-secular-decline-in-productivity-growth/) [Using Ecosystem Accounting to Integrate the Environment in Measures of Multifactor Productivity Carl Obst Fall 2024 | IPM Issue 47 | pp. 87–108](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-47/using-ecosystem-accounting-to-integrate-the-environment-in-measures-of-multifactor-productivity/) [How Does Industrial Policy Impact Output, Hours and Productivity? The Canadian Experience Tim Sargent Fall 2024 | IPM Issue 47 | pp. 39–53](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-47/how-does-industrial-policy-impact-output-hours-and-productivity-the-canadian-experience/) [Climate Change and Productivity — An Exploration Dirk Pilat Fall 2024 | IPM Issue 47 | pp. 54–86](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-47/climate-change-and-productivity-an-exploration/) [Could Domestic Industrial Policies, Even With Global Fragmentation, Revive Productivity? Catherine Mann Fall 2024 | IPM Issue 47 | pp. 3–19](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-47/could-domestic-industrial-policies-even-with-global-fragmentation-revive-productivity/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn The article explores the role of generalized or social trust (trust between strangers) in explaining cross-country differences in the level of productivity (output per worker) and in self-reported well-being for 136 countries. Trust is measured directly from survey data. In addition, a second trust variable called deep trust is estimated as a function of ancient cultural, historical, geographic, and linguistic factors. Both trust variables have significant bivariate relationships with each of productivity and well-being, each of which can also be modelled with fairly standard specifications: an augmented production function for productivity, and the multi-variate model of well-being developed in the annual World Happiness Reports. Yet when either trust variable is added to each of the standard models, neither contributes any additional explanatory power. So where is the bivariate significance of trust coming from? We find that, in every case, one or both of trust and deep trust is significant for the standard determinants of productivity, with deep trust doing better at predicting human capital, physical capital and institution quality, and actual trust being stronger for the well-being determinants. That is, trust in the 21st century appears to not directly contribute to productivity or well-being, but has a substantial effect working through the proximate determinants. L’article explore le rôle de la confiance généralisée ou sociale (confiance entre étrangers) pour expliquer les différences transnationales dans le niveau de productivité (production par travailleur) et dans le bien-être auto-déclaré pour 136 pays. La confiance est mesurée directement à partir de données d’enquête. En outre, une deuxième variable de confiance appelée « confiance profonde » est estimée comme une fonction de facteurs culturels, historiques, géographiques et linguistiques anciens. Les deux variables de confiance ont des relations bivariées significatives avec la productivité et le bien-être, chacune pouvant également être modélisée avec des spécifications assez standard. Cependant, lorsque l’une ou l’autre variable de confiance est ajoutée à chacune des spécifications standard, elle perd toute signification statistique. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-42-7-Hazledine.pdf)