“Do not trust all men, but trust men of worth; the former course is silly, the latter a mark of prudence.” – Democritus.
The erosion of trust in modern society represents one of the most pressing challenges facing our interconnected world, as institutions that once commanded respect and authority now face unprecedented skepticism from the populations they serve. This growing distrust extends beyond mere cynicism to threaten the fundamental social fabric that enables communities, markets, and democracies to function effectively.
As we witness a dramatic shift in public perception—with governments increasingly viewed as both incompetent and unethical compared to businesses—we must confront the reality that this crisis of confidence touches every aspect of our lives, from our online interactions to our civic participation, demanding urgent attention and thoughtful solutions.
Distrust Is Growing
According to the 2024 The Edelman Trust Barometer, distrust is growing as authority declines. Illustrated in the chart below, global governments are now seen as both far less competent and far less ethical than businesses.
Why Is Distrust Growing?
Over the last twenty years online person-to-person communication has become a true mass medium. Initially, it was thought that the Internet’s technical architecture need not address issues such trust, since those matters tended to take care of themselves: “Early users of the Net could, with some assurance, feel they shared affinities with others they met online. The small size of the community, and the intensity of connections between those who participated, created an environment in which you were encouraged to act responsibly in order to protect your personal reputation. We knew who to trust” – Ken Jordon, ‘The Augmented Social Network’.
However, as the online social network grew from a few hundred people to the many millions of participants representing different and overlapping social networks, the ability to identify affinities and establish trust through the Internet disintegrated.
Now growing in the space where trust previously existed is distrust – trust is in decline:
“In one longitudinal survey, Americans were asked whether they felt most people could be trusted. The number answering affirmatively fell from 58% in 1960 to 37% in 1993. Apart from opinion surveys, the decline of social trust is evident on both sides of the law, in both the rise of crime and civil litigation.” – Francis Fukuyama, ‘Trust.’
In their 2019 book ‘Radical Markets’, authors Posner & Weyl wrote: “The cultural consequences of capitalism have not all been for the better… by reducing so much of the social exchange to impersonal monetary terms, markets undermine the close connections that people feel toward those they know closely and interact with on a daily basis. By supplanting the moral values upon which communities are founded with the pursuit of personal ambition and profit, markets tend to reduce social solidarity and undermine the trust that is necessary for markets to function.”
Why Should You Care That Distrust Is Growing?
Why should you care that distrust is growing? Because society is built on trust and, unfortunately, “Corruption, moral decline, and inefficiency appear to be signal features of the final stages of a system.” – Davidson & Rees-Mogg, ‘The Sovereign Individual’.
Trust has been the natural glue of human connection since the beginning of Man, and “communities are united by trust”, as said by Francis Fukuyama.
And, from Cynthia Typaldos we have: “Without trust, a collaborative group cannot function. Trust is built over time and must be earned. Sociologists have researched trust in groups extensively and have identified that multiple positive interactions, comprehensive understanding of the individual’s identity, and concurring opinions of other trustworthy members are key to gaining trust in other people. Building trust increases group efficiency and enables conflict resolution – Trust is the social lubricant that makes community possible.”
Final Thoughts
The implications of our trust deficit extend far beyond individual relationships to threaten the very foundations of civilized society. As trust serves as the “social lubricant” that enables everything from market transactions to democratic governance, its decline creates friction at every level of human interaction.
Without trust, collaborative efforts become inefficient or impossible, social capital deteriorates, and the shared understanding necessary for resolving conflicts peacefully evaporates. The warning signs are already visible in rising crime rates, increased litigation, and the general atmosphere of suspicion that pervades public discourse. Reversing this trend requires more than technological fixes or policy adjustments – it demands a fundamental reimagining of how we build and maintain trust in an era of unprecedented connectivity and complexity.
While the challenges are formidable, the alternative—continuing down a path toward complete social fragmentation—is unthinkable. As Democritus wisely counseled, the solution lies not in blind faith, but in developing the wisdom to identify and cultivate relationships with those worthy of trust. Only by consciously rebuilding these networks of trust, both online and offline, can we hope to restore the social cohesion necessary for human flourishing in the 21st century.
Thanks for reading!