This study investigated the relationship between institutional trust and life satisfaction, and the mediating role of belief in a just world (BJW) among the elderly. The General Belief in a Just World Scale (GBJW) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were employed. A self-developed Institutional Trust questionnaire was used to measure participant’ levels of trust in eight institutions. The aggregate score for all eight items represented the level of institutional trust. The questionnaires were completed by 19,352 retirees ranging in age from 50 to 99 (M = 69.7, SD = 8.0). The results showed the following: (1) overall, the retirees tended to report high institutional trust and high life satisfaction; (2) institutional trust was positively associated with life satisfaction; and (3) more importantly, the relationships between institutional trust and life satisfaction were partially mediated by GBJW. This finding provides a new insight into the psychological mechanisms by which institutional trust relates to individual happiness. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings, as well as the study’s limitations, are discussed.
In recent decades, a burgeoning empirical studies have linked social trust to a variety of psychological health outcomes and happiness (Bjørnskov, 2006, Helliwell, 2006 and Tokuda et al., 2010). However, extant literature on this issue is characterized by several challenges. First, the mechanisms by which trust relates to or influences happiness remain further exploration (Tokuda et al., 2010 and Yip et al., 2007). By reviewing relevant literature, we infer that social belief, such as belief in a just world (BJW), may mediates the relationship between social trust and life satisfaction. Second, social trust, as one of the three components of social capital, is a multidimensional concept. Paldam (2000) claimed that social trust includes generalized trust (trusting in unspecific people) and special trust (trust in known people or particular institutions). Recent studies distinguish the two types of social trust (Leung et al., 2011 and Tan and Tambyah, 2011). Leung et al. (2011) found that both generalized interpersonal trust and institutional trust are independently associated with happiness, but there were positive but weak correlation between the two types of trusts. Relatively few studies have referred to the relationship between institutional trust and happiness. Thus, in the current study, we focus on trust in institutions.
Third, the data underlying the trust–happiness assumption remain mainly derived from samples from developed Western nations, and relevant evidence from other areas, such as China, the largest developing country in the world, is relatively sparse. In the current study, we chose old adults living in Chinese cities as participants. China has a special social and cultural background against which the mechanisms underlying the interaction between trust and happiness can be explored (Li & Liang, 2007). First, with improvement of the living standards, older adults are placing more importance on a healthy and high-quality later life. Additionally, social conflicts and negative outcomes with economic development, such as the widening gap between the rich and the poor, unfair wealth distribution, and official corruption, could result in the decrease of social trust, especially trust in institutions, which would counteract the positive effects of economic development on happiness. A recent survey on the social mentality of China indicated that there is some distrust in public institutions (Rao, Zhou, Tian, & Yang, 2013). Second, with the degeneration of physical, psychological, and social functioning, older adults tend to rely more on intimate relationships, social networks, and public institutions. Thus, trustworthiness and credibility of public institutions perhaps influences their evaluations or attitudes toward society, further affecting life satisfaction.
