An Expectancy-Value Approach to Determinants of Trust

An expectancy-value model was used to test determinants of trust in 5 Swedish organizations. Trust was conceptualized as an attitude, dependent on respondents' beliefs about and evaluations of the organization with respect to attributes of trustworthiness. A survey was sent out to a representative sample of the Swedish population ( N  = 347; response rate = 55.5%). It was found that the model was powerful in explaining trust in 3 of the 5 organizations. Values correlated more with observed trust in all organizations. It is discussed whether these findings could be explained by trust ratings based on ideologies. Since the expectancy-value approach was insufficient to account for data, a double-denial model ( Sjöberg & Montgomery, 1999 ) was needed.