Americans Don't Trust Anyone Anymore, and We Need to Fix That
Trust. It's built over a lifetime, lost in a moment, and earned back at a snail's pace.
At some point, America lost faith in the things that are core to being an American: the government, our businesses, and even one another. A bleak picture is emerging of Americans’ levels of trust in a new poll from The Associated Press and research firm GfK. These results pretty closely mirror the stats that emerged earlier this year from the most recent General Social Survey, a massive national study that’s been done regularly since 1972.
It seems that we’re not so sure about…
Our Leaders
The AP-GfK poll asked how much of the time people trust the government in Washington to do what is right. “Only some of the time” was the answer given by 81 percent of those surveyed. Just 15 percent said they trust the government to do what’s right “most of the time.”
When the GSS asked about general trust in our nation’s major institutions, 23.3 percent surveyed during 2008-2012 had “a great deal of confidence.” When asked about confidence in major companies, the GSS found confidence at 17.3 percent, up only slightly from a record low of 13 percent in 2010, when we were in the deepest depths of the Great Recession.
To rebuild trust in government we need to remember that a democracy is about our choices, so do your homework. Make a New Year's resolution to learn as much as possible about whether your elected officials are keeping promises they made while campaigning. If you make the first six months of 2014 all about good research on how your leaders are doing, you'll be a more informed voter in the fall. Ditto for the companies you buy from or do business with—take a moment to research them before buying their products or signing agreements with them.
Our Digital World
The AP-GfK poll asked how safe people feel sharing data online. Nearly 60 percent said they don't have much faith in people with whom they share photos, videos, or information on social media. Only 38 percent have confidence in these "friends."
When the GSS asked about trust in media institutions, it found general declines over the past four decades in faith in "the press" and television. Confidence in the press was at 8.8 percent in 2012, and only 10 percent expressed confidence in what they see on TV.
To rebuild faith in the Internet world, improve your media literacy and take time with your digital decision making. It’s easy to give in to our collective urge to Instagram every moment and tweet every thought. But editing yourself can mean the difference between loving your digital life and regretting how much you’ve overshared.
Trusting Strangers
In the AP-GfK poll, 78 percent said they have little faith in people they meet while traveling, and 75 percent said they mistrust the people driving other cars while they're out biking, walking, or driving. Adults under 30 in this survey were especially wary of strangers.
Similarly, the GSS found that just 32 percent of those surveyed in 2012 believed most people can generally be trusted. When the GSS was launched in 1972, nearly half of those surveyed (46 percent) said they thought that.
Fixing this lack of faith is probably easier than it sounds: Get to know your neighbors. It sounds archaic, I know, but get out and meet them in person. Talk to the shopkeepers in your neighborhood, volunteer at local events, and attend the next school board meeting in your town—whether or not you have school-age kids. You may not eliminate your worries about strangers, but you can shrink the number of strangers by making more in-person connections in your community.
Related stories on TakePart:
• Everyone Is Creating Media These Days, but Who Can You Trust?
• Can Social Media Save the Arctic Ocean?
• The Best #NSAPickupLines Ever
• Online Privacy: Spread Your Message, Not Your Private Life
• In Just 3 Minutes, See How the Media Totally Failed Women in 2013
Original article from TakePart
