Trust drives civilized society, allowing communities to live in relative harmony and peace.
Misplaced trust or loss of trust can spell disastrous consequences over time.
The 2021 Global Trustworthiness Monitor offers a glimpse into the low levels of trust across the world.
Trust and distrust were rated in 20 categories of endeavour and in 28 countries in 2021, comparing them with the 2018 monitor. Doctors received the most trust at 64 per cent — up nine per cent.
Judges and lawyers each were up five per cent to respective levels of 38 and 29 per cent. Twenty-eight per cent distrusted both.
Clergy were up five per cent with 24 per cent trust and 36 per cent distrust.
Only 27 per cent trusted TV news readers — three points better than in 2018. Thirty per cent had no trust.
Police are trusted by 37 per cent, distrusted by 28 per cent.
Civil servants have 24 per cent trust, 34 per cent distrust.
Politicians are at the bottom of the trust heap with a mere 10 per cent trust level and 64 per cent distrust. Their trust is one point better than in 2018.
Government minsters follow at 14 per cent trust and 53 per cent no trust.
Governments have only 20 per cent trust across the globe with 53 per cent distrust. In Canada only 16 per cent trust government with 53 per cent distrusting.
None of the 28 countries in the polls had 50 per cent trust in government. Major democracies — Great Britain, U.S.A., Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Canada — had less than one-fifth trust among residents.
Global trust in the media sits at a low 24 per cent and has 53 per cent distrust. Only 20 per cent of Canadians trust the media with 37 per cent distrust.
Global trust in social media at 17 per cent dropped one point since 2018 but three-quarters think social media and technology companies have too much power.
Technology trust levels are featured with trust down by nine per cent to 68 per cent in the nine years since 2012.
The report suggests while there is room to rebuild trust in many parts of the global community, trust isn’t in crisis.
Healthy skepticism is good. Continued high levels of distrust are sad and foretell future concerns if the trend isn’t halted.
Clearly governments, politicians, civil servants and the media, both the news media and the social media, have their work cut out to rebuild trust.
Governments, politicians, civil servants and corporations face distrust because they are always spinning truth to fit their goals.
Example: Justin Trudeau promised to do government differently and electoral reform. He did neither.
A proliferation of various social media sources without ethics is also to blame.
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
