The Moderating Effect of Attachment to God on the Association between Education and Social Trust

Previously, many researchers have concluded that lower educational attainment is a risk factor for low social trust. While other studies have analyzed the effects of religious attendance on trust, the present study seeks a novel approach in understanding how religion, specifically religious attachment, affects the education and trust relationship. In order to examine the impact of divine attachment on this relationship, data from Wave III of the Baylor Religion Survey (BRS) are utilized. Using this data, the impacts of secure, anxious, and insecure divine attachment styles are examined on both particular and generalized trust. Overall, high levels of secure attachment to God are found to have a significant buffering effect on the relationship between education and overall trust. This study expands the current literature base on social trust, provides insight into the education and trust dynamic, and sets the foundation for future studies to examine attachment styles as a moderating factor.