There is a general consensus among contemporary social scientists that social trust is important, for both social and political reasons. Social trust between citizens, it is said, contributes to a very wide range of phenomena, including economic growth and efficiency in market economics, stable and efficient democratic government, the equitable provision of public goods, social integration, co-operation and harmony. Trust is also said to be at the centre of a cluster of other concepts that are as important in social science theory as in practical daily life, including life satisfaction and happiness, optimism, well-being, health, economic prosperity, educational attainment, welfare, participation, community, civil society, and democracy. And, of course, social trust is a core component of social capital, and is normally used as a key indicator of it, sometimes as the best or only single indicator. This paper, based on world values survey wave 6 2010-2014 data, conducted an analysis on the present conditions of social trust in Korea, China and Japan, especially focus on the trust of people and institutions. And this paper conducted a qualitative analysis on how the characteristics of trust of people and institutions have influenced on general trust in Korea, China and Japan society.
