A Growing Problem
Every year Edelman, a global communications firm, surveys a sector of the general population and collects the results to construct a report which they call the Trust Barometer. In essence, the report completed by Edelman is a measure of the world populace's confidence in organizations such as governments, NGOs, private corporations, and also societal institutions such as capitalism. The 2020 Trust Barometer was released in January of this year. According to the barometer's creators, the results show a concerning trend, particularly in developed countries.
According to Edelman's Trust Barometer, 56% of the survey respondents expressed reservations about the benefits of capitalism. Most of the respondents believed that they would not be better off in five years. There was also a marked change in the "inequality" of trust when comparing the affluent and the "mass population." As a ratio, the difference between the trust expressed by the wealthier, more educated consumer than the less wealthy and educated people has quadrupled in the last two years. The disparity between the rich and poor is felt all over the world and is growing in intensity.
People are also more afraid. A vast majority of people fear the loss of jobs and the looming economic recession. People appear not to trust businesses to do the right thing concerning their employees. According to the report's findings, people's fear is not only based on a general mistrust of others. It also is derived from a sense that all organizations, regardless of industry (governmental, charitable, business and media), lack ethics and competence. According to the Trust Barometer, people don't believe that organizations would do the right thing even if they wanted to do it because they cannot competently do it.
These are indeed very ominous results. A lack of trust and higher levels of fear are not healthy metrics for any society. But what can we do about it? We would like to humbly suggest a few actions that each one of us can take to improve trust and reduce fear in our own lives and throughout our world.
Ways to Build Trust and Combat Fear:
Understand that there is a God greater than all the institutions of the world we live in. God is not perplexed or confused. Nor is God afraid. More importantly, understanding the fact of God's existence and complete omnipotence is understanding that God cares for you.
Stop listening to those who would promote disunity. Personally, block media that attempts to build uncertainty and fear in your life. Understand that they are engaged in business with the #1 mission of making money. Fear sells. Don't let it sell to you.
Give. For perspective and to connect with others and your world, give of yourself. Whether time or resources, give back to your world and recognize when others affect you through their giving. As we help others, we build community and with community comes trust. Let's unite to build trust and help others through giving.