A loosening tray of sand? Age, period, and cohort effects on generalized trust in Reform-Era China, 1990–2007

• There is a declining trend in generalized trust from 1990 to 2007.
• People’s confidence in an ordinary social member increases as they age.
• The cohorts of the Mao’s Era are less trusting.

This study examines the transition of generalized trust in mainland China from 1990 to 2007. Using the methodology of intrinsic estimator to analyze the repeated cross-sectional survey data from the World Values Survey, we separate age, period, and cohort effects on the extent of generalized trust of Chinese citizens. Empirical findings suggest that (1) There is a declining trend in the level of generalized trust across different periods from 1990 to 2007, net of age and cohort effects; (2) People’s confidence in an ordinary social member increases as they age, a pattern resembling that of many Western societies; (3) The cohorts that experience the totalitarian Mao’s Era in the formative stage of their life course stand out in evidently lower trust in generalized others, relative to those cohorts with formative stage falling in the Reform Era.