OUR AGE OF DISTRUST

In 1624, the English poet John Donne wrote, “No man is an island entire of itself.” And yet in 2026, the Edelman Trust Barometer finds that 7 out of 10 people across 28 nations are hesitant or unwilling to trust people who have different values, approaches to societal problems, or backgrounds than they do. For most people, distrust is now the default instinct. Only one-third tell us most people can be trusted.

- RICHARD EDELMAN

Our survey of 33,938 respondents suggests that we are choosing a closed ecosystem of trust that mandates a limited worldview, a narrowing of opinion, intellectual stasis, and cultural rigidity. Respondents with insular mindsets say they would have profoundly lower trust in an institution if it were led by anyone different from them. Too often, we withdraw from dialogue and compromise. We opt for the safety of the familiar over the perceived risk of innovation. We prefer nationalism to global connection. We choose individual benefit over common advancement.

How did we get here? In its quarter-century, the Trust Barometer has captured an inexorable erosion of belief in institutions and their leaders. Trust is increasingly local—to one’s employer, CEO, and social circle. Worldwide, we find trust among high earners 15 points higher than among low earners; that gap is 29 points in the U.S. Concerns about downward economic mobility and job losses due to globalization have increased political polarization. COVID bred doubt about government edicts and skepticism about science, provoking an existential battle for truth. Tensions have led to nationalism, hostility to global agreements, a reorientation of trade flows.