What About Trust?

What comes to mind when you hear about declining levels of institutional trust? Is it numbness? Overwhelm? Paralysis? A general sense of “well obviously, but what exactly can I do about it?”

The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer found that 61% globally have a moderate or high sense of grievance and it’s especially prevalent among younger adults (18-34). That is to say they hold the belief that business and government make life harder, serve narrow interests, and that the system benefits the wealthy while the majority struggles. Surprised? Not really.

It's a complex, (by definition) systemic issue covering political polarisation, wealth inequality, misinformation and disinformation, our polycrisis bonanza with non-existent responses and - interestingly - a decline in collective engagement coupled with an uptick in critical citizenry.

And the big issue with a decline in institutional trust is that it widens the open doors for populist, power-hungry politics to barge in with a “look at me, I’m anti-establishment” line of communication.

No thanks. So let’s get solution-oriented instead, where could we begin?

Back to Work

Maybe you're thinking "I'm just a boss in a machine, what can I possibly do about all that?"

Here's a chain of thinking from one report prior, in 2024 to challenge that perspective: Workplace trust is the foundation. When employees experience distrust i.e. through heavy-handed policies e.g. RTO, sloppy communication, or micromanagement, they don't just lose trust in the big boss. They begin to question the organisation at large, which spills over: declining trust at the micro level (workplace) bleeds into the macro level (institutional).

“The workplace can unlock economic optimism and build trust in society”

2024 Edelman Trust Barometer

Think about it. Working 9-5 in the corporate world is our intro to how corporations function. If this one's rubbish, the others probably are too. And if I can't trust institutions, realistically who can I trust?

Everything is connected.

At University, one of my favourite Professors was known for reminding us that "we are the media" to anyone trying to use "the media" as a scapegoat for why things were the way they were. We consume and create and consume again.

Fast forward to today - we’re in the messy middle of a shift from institutions to individuals. Creators over brands (or creators becoming brands) and parasocial relationships > 360 degree campaigns.

There is no Them vs. Us. We are the media. We are the institutions.

Underestimating our Influence

NUANCE NEEDED. Do I think it’s right to talk-up Amazon or get people fired for chatting shit? Nope. But taking Paul Ardern’s (d)advice with a handful of salt, each of us has a hand in building the future work-life experience.

We massively underestimate our own influence and responsibility with regards to building trust in institutions. But flip-reversing that insight becomes: my ability to build trust locally can influence wider trust in the institution and community over time.

Let’s look at this for brands specifically: Trust in leaders inspires trust in the wider business. When we communicate openly and proactively, and follow through on commitments, we set the standards for a culture of trust that can ripple outward - far beyond our immediate team.

Trust needs Proof

Rebuilding trust requires a pro-level balance of the long and the short-term view.

First accept that it’s going to take time because there are no get-rich-quick shortcuts here. And yet conversely, we need to ship first results fast: show proof of concept early and repeatedly. A balance of the long and short view.

Transparency is not the silver bullet we think it is. Ever since reading Jasmine Bina’s post on this, I’ve been unable to shake its truth. Trust and transparency exist in tension with one another: complete transparency can create overwhelm and analysis paralysis but too little and the suspicion and conspiracy theories start a-festering.

Instead, design your frameworks and processes for embedded accountability and co-creation. Take these to your next meeting:

• Trust in institutions is dependent on economic optimism: create opportunities.

• Upskill to fast-track economic optimism i.e. Digital/AI Literacy and critical thinking.

• Harness the IKEA effect and find ways to co-create new initiatives with your team.

• Map out the problem to solve for the mindset not the surface-level behaviour.

• Socialise results early and often and get that Snowball Effect a-rolling.

The Long Game

Who is willing to do the slow, unsexy work of building it up, one action at a time?

Because declining institutional trust is not a political problem or a corporate problem or a media problem - it is not something someone else far away needs to solve for us, nor something we can escape from. It's an us problem that requires our co-created solutions that we can address in our small, immediate circle. It needs folks at every level who understand that their influence extends far beyond that immediate circle. And content creators who prioritise deep connection over virality and popularity. It requires all of us to remember that we are, in fact, the media (and the institutions) we've been waiting for.

So as cringe as it might be to say this: I believe we’re going to have to save ourselves on this one.