The Promoting Role of Sports Park Quality on Interpersonal Trust Among Residents: A Parallel Mediation Model

Abstract Interpersonal trust forms the core of community social capital. This study examines how sports park quality influences residents' interpersonal trust through two parallel pathways: sports participation and social interaction. Based on questionnaire data from 1,916 residents in Shandong Province, China, structural equation modelling and Bootstrap methods were employed for analysis. Results indicate: 1) Sports park quality not only directly and positively predicts interpersonal trust but also significantly and positively predicts sports participation and social interaction. 2) Both sports participation and social interaction significantly and positively predict interpersonal trust. 3) Both sports participation and social interaction exert significant partial mediating effects between sports park quality and interpersonal trust, forming a parallel dual-mediation mechanism. Sports participation mediates 48.3% of the total effect, surpassing social interaction's 31.1% contribution. This study reveals the ''space-behaviour-psychology'' mechanism, providing empirical evidence and theoretical insights for fostering community trust through high-quality public space planning.