Interpersonal trust, institutional trust, and inheritors’ willingness to collaborate in protecting intangible cultural heritage

Social trust plays a pivotal role in fostering a willingness to collaborate among multiple subjects for the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage. This study examined the effect of interpersonal trust and institutional trust on the collaboration intention of inheritors regarding the protection of intangible cultural heritage. We conducted a survey with 220 Regong Thangka inheritors in China, employing a binary logistic model for data analysis. The findings showed that both interpersonal trust (e.g., trust in relatives, neighbors, and Tibetan Buddhists) and institutional trust (e.g., trust in local officials and the government) positively predicted the collaboration intention of inheritors. Furthermore, there was a significant and positive correlation between the education level and the collaboration intention of inheritors. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing inheritors’ motivations in the collaborative efforts to protect intangible cultural heritage.