Religious Exclusivity and Cross-national Trust: A Global Analysis of WVS Data
Abstract
Religious exclusivity refers to the belief that one’s own faith is the only true and acceptable religion. Such belief can limit people’s willingness to trust those beyond their religious or national boundaries. This study uses global data from the seventh wave of the World Values Survey to examine how religious exclusivity affects transnational trust and how this relationship differs across religious identity groups. The results show a clear negative link between religious exclusivity and trust in people from other countries. In other words, higher levels of exclusivity are associated with lower levels of cross-national trust. The analysis also finds that this effect is strongest among religious believers, weaker among the non-religious, and not significant among atheists. These findings suggest that cultural and psychological factors play an important role in shaping global patterns of trust. They offer new evidence for understanding the complex relationship between religion and trust in an increasingly connected world.
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