Fixing trust belongs at the top of local government To Do lists
National survey data shows trust in government remains dangerously low
When we developed a starting mission statement for the GX Foundry, we knew the word “trust” needed to be included, no matter how short the statement might be. And while it’s not the first word, it’s in there, as the goal of our work (boldface added):
We forge digital experiences to build trust in Franklin County
It’s a lofty goal. Hard to do. Hard to measure. But vital to keep in focus because we've known for years that trust in government in particular has been falling, based on lots of different surveys and studies.
And recently communications firm Edelman released their "Trust Barometer" report and it, like many before it, documents the continuing fall of public trust in government (and nonprofits, and businesses, etc.). It's sobering, and us government folks need to consider how to reframe all our missions and tactics to rebuild trust, now more than ever.
With surveys completed in 2024 (before the election), a broad measure of “trust” in government in the United States hovered at about 41%. Even Argentina (42%) fares better than we do, after a dramatic jump of 21 points since the prior survey. Even Mexico (47%) had more trust in their government than we do in ours.
Edelman’s report goes into some depth about “grievances” and how they drag down trust levels. Basically, if the people are upset about a disconnect between what they expected and what they perceive they are getting from government or business or others, it can lead to hardened opinions and cynicism that distills into a grievance. This irritation grinds down trust from an individual’s perspective. One chart in the report shows how those with “high” grievances have the least trust in their leaders:
Given how the 2024 national elections played out in this country, I think one can assume there were a lot of grievances on all sides.
How do we rebuild trust?
Fixing trust is not a simple thing, of course. It's hard to build and easy to lose. Not surprisingly, the Edelman report is not too prescriptive in their assessment. (This makes sense, as it’s survey data and analysis, not a how-to-fix-it report.)
Their recommendations come in a single slide:
The most relevant parts for government include:
Grievances must be addressed. The institutional failures of the last 25 years have produced grievances around the world, stifling growth and innovation in turn. To lead through this crisis, understand the economic realities of your stakeholders, champion shared interests, and create opportunities for optimism.
With trust, optimism overpowers grievance. When institutions can’t be trusted to do what is right, grievances fester and outlooks darken. To dissipate grievance and increase optimism, prioritize and rebuild trust across your organization and local communities.
How we think about rebuilding trust
For local governments in particular, we think a few recommendations are good for all of us, whether you’re developing digital services at a distance or providing direct service in contact with the public. We believe in:
Transparency. Trust dissolves in the shadows. Conspiracy theories thrive in the absence of easily-digestible and easily-accessible information. Expose policies, processes, outcomes, and rationales. Show your work. Connect the outcomes of your work to the policies and policy-makers that created the conditions for those outcomes. Don't sugarcoat anything and expose the problems alongside the resolutions. Redirect or resist the efforts of elected politicians as much as possible if (when) they attempt to hide anything.
Alignment with Public Needs. Visibly connect how public needs in the real world are linked to the work your agency performs. "Because of this, we do that." Use studies and survey data (turned into plain-language observations) to show how your work is aligned with publicly-expressed and visible problems or opportunities. No, you can't solve all problems or satisfy all the wishes out there, so call out where you are falling short, too. Owning what you're not doing can be as powerful as showing what you've accomplished.
Proactive Communication. This one is hard, as we live in an environment of extreme attention-seeking and a collapsing professional media sphere. But do your level best, with contemporary tools to get the word out. Email lists, blogs, newsletters, videos, podcasts, and in-person public presentations and meetings are critical message delivery systems, and yeah... you have to master them all. It sucks the local media landscape has evaporated, but it has, and you still need to get the word out. Stop complaining about the loss of local media, roll up your sleeves, and do it yourself.
Go Digital. Whether it’s delivering services via digital platforms or putting communications and information into the channels the public will see, technology must be the first tool you grab from the toolbox. Of course “digital” is a huge landscape, with a lot of things to learn, starting with first principles like human-centered design, user experience, and empathy before you even start erecting any technical solutions. To get started, I can recommend the new, short-but-dense volume Platformland. But more broad training is needed. Hopefully more on that this year.
At a time when trust in government is low and likely to crater in Edelman’s next annual report, it’s time to shake up our local government To Do lists. Even if you already had Trust on the list, it may not have been at the top. It’s time to change that.