The role of religiosity in the trust decisions of adolescents and young adults

This study investigated whether youth essentialize religiosity considering religious informants as more trustworthy. Participants (N = 181) from three age groups (preadolescents, early adolescents and young adults) were presented with vignettes and asked which informant the protagonist should trust. One protagonist was introduced as religious. Results showed that youth's essentialism for religiosity is limited, but those with proximity to religion preferred advice from a Priest over an expert. This suggests that youth's essentialism for the trustworthiness of religiosity may be limited to religious leaders and is present only among those close to religion. Participants also tended to trust the expert rather than the Priest and the informant whose advice aligned with their own preferences.