Trust in government is at a historic low. In this paper, Steve van Riel argues that overcoming falling levels of trust will require rethinking how we understand the concept. He sets out aims to help policymakers look a layer beneath the abstract concept of trust, and be “strategic about where greater trust will really make a difference”.
This is the inaugural paper in a new series by the Social Market Foundation – on the topic of trust in the public realm. The series is launched with this paper by Steve van Riel, an academic and Head of Trust Development at Edelman UK, which publishes the annual Trust Barometer.
Key points
- The new government elected in the UK has clearly been entrusted with the power that comes with a large majority in the House of Commons, but trust in government is at historic low. Thus, even if trust has seemingly already been won, it is correct for Prime Minister Starmer to frame it as the defining battle of our political era.
- While some institutions, like the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Bank of England, maintain high levels of trust, other areas like the police, politicians, and media suffer from much lower public confidence. Trust inequalities also exist, where certain demographics, such as ethnic minorities and lower-income groups, report significantly lower trust .
- In popular understanding, “being trustworthy” will naturally lead to trust – but such an approach would be mistaken. Instead, we need a deliberate, measurable trust-building efforts across different sectors. Without this, improvements in trust will be slow or non-existent.
- van Riel proposes a detailed framework for developing trust strategies within public bodies. This includes defining specific trust ambitions, understanding the type of trust being sought (e.g., trust in competence vs. integrity), and identifying gaps between trust and trustworthiness.
- A “trust lens” can be applied to various policy areas, such as economic stability, industrial strategy, net-zero targets, and public confidence in the police and courts. The paper argues that boosting trust in these areas will accelerate progress and make political missions more achievable.
In his foreword, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Rt Hon Pat McFadden said:
There are no easy answers, no shortcut solutions. As this paper attests to, trust must be built from the concrete, from the credible, from the measurable, from the deliverable. Nor is this just a task for a single party or government. It is a fight for all of us who believe that democratic politics can and must be an essential force for good.
