本研究探討企業所在地區之社會信任程度是否與企業工業機器人導入程度相關。社會信任作為一種非正式制度環境，可能透過降低資訊不對稱、契約摩擦與組織協調成本，提升企業承擔自動化投資之意願；然而，高社會信任亦可能強化既有組織關係與穩定互動模式，使企業在面對涉及流程重組與人力配置調整之投資時採取較為審慎的態度。本文以2004年至2024年美國上市公司為樣本，結合 IFR 工業機器人資料、Compustat 公司財務資料與 JEC 社會資本資料進行實證分析。實證結果顯示，社會信任與企業機器人導入程度呈顯著正向關係，表示在控制公司特徵與產業年度因素後，公司所在地區之社會信任程度越高，其機器人導入程度亦相對較高。進一步分析發現，此正向關係在融資限制較高及員工隱含契約程度較高之企業中更為明顯，顯示社會信任可能透過降低資訊不對稱、減少契約摩擦與改善組織協調，提升企業推動自動化投資之可行性。本研究補充社會信任與企業技術採用決策之相關文獻。

This study examines whether regional social trust affects firms' industrial robot adoption intensity. As an informal institutional environment, social trust may promote automation investment by reducing information asymmetry, contractual frictions, and organizational coordination costs, yet it may also reinforce existing organizational relationships, making firms more cautious toward investments involving process restructuring and labor reallocation. Using U.S. listed firms from 2004 to 2024, we combine robot data from the IFR, financial data from Compustat, and social capital data from the JEC. Results show that social trust is significantly and positively associated with robot adoption intensity after controlling for firm characteristics and industry-year effects. This positive relationship is more pronounced among firms with greater financing constraints and stronger employee implicit contracts, suggesting that social trust enhances automation feasibility by alleviating capital market frictions and organizational resistance. This study contributes to the literature on informal institutions and corporate technology adoption.

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