> I love that you are considering things on that scope but there are still many high trust areas in the US. Small towns that are culturally and ethnically homog

> I love that you are considering things on that scope but there are still many high trust areas in the US. Small towns that are culturally and ethnically homogenous with fewer transients are almost always high trust. Some places are higher trust than others but the developed world is based exclusively on a high level of trust. An actual low trust society is so starkly different from what most of us on HN are used: it practically enforces a feudal, subsistence farming society. Living in the US, I don't remember the last time I had to show my receipt at the fast food counter or show any sort of identification when picking up food that I had paid for online. I've never once paid for a major/emergency medical operation or auto repair ahead of time. Hell, I left the dealership with my last car a full week before they received the check from my bank (in the Seattle area, so definitely not a small town). I don't think anyone has ever really verified my income or finances beyond a cursory credit check and some PDF that could be easily faked by anyone with a little computer literacy. Most mortgages are paid back over thirty years! In my old country, most people don't fully trust that the currency will even last that long. The systems reinforcing social behavior in larger groups are more complicated and easier to game, but they are definitely still part of a system based on high levels of trust.