Examining an In-group's Perception of an Out-group's Trustworthiness in Two

Wann and Polk (2007) found a positive relationship between identification with a local sport team and perceptions of the trustworthiness of others. Furthermore, Wann et al. (in press) also demonstrated that when fans were asked to evaluate the trustworthiness of fellow fans and rival fans that fellow fans were perceived to be more trustworthy than rival fans. The current pair of studies was designed to replicate Wann and Polk (2007) and Wann et al. (in press) in a different culture and with different target sports. To further investigate cultural variation in sports fans, two popular UK sports (rugby and football) with their own cultures were also examined for differences in trustworthiness. As expected, both study 1 and 2 confirmed the findings demonstrated by Wann and Polk (2007) and Wann et al. (in press). In addition, study 2 confirmed differences in perceived trust of others where football fans perceived less trust in rival fans relative to rugby fans.