Americans no longer trust each other

The results of a recent poll conducted by AP/GFK suggest that Americans no longer trust each other. We are in the midst of a decades-long community crisis that many of us are experiencing viscerally, although most of us probably do not fully understand what is going on. It is not just our trust in government that is declining. Americans are losing trust in their neighbors, and that is a far more troubling development.

Why is this happening?

This is from an AP story I found on My Way News.

We're not talking about the loss of faith in big institutions such as the government, the church or Wall Street, which fluctuates with events. For four decades, a gut-level ingredient of democracy - trust in the other fellow - has been quietly draining away. These days, only one-third of Americans say most people can be trusted. Half felt that way in 1972, when the General Social Survey first asked the question. Forty years later, a record high of nearly two-thirds say "you can't be too careful" in dealing with people.

One reason for declining trust may be the diversity challenge as noted by Robert Putnam below. This snippet is from my book about community building, Discovering Possibility.

As Sociologist Robert Putnam points out, the more diverse a community is, the greater the challenges it faces. According to Putnam, in more diverse communities people tend to vote less and volunteer less and there tends to be less civic engagement. Therefore, the conventional wisdom, diversity is our strength, seems to be an incomplete notion that demands further investigation. This conventional wisdom may be true, but as Putnam points out there are greater challenges with diversity than we may want to acknowledge. Diversity presents significant challenges to social connectivity.

It also appears clear that something shifted culturally during the 1960's and 70's that has contributed to the deterioration. And unfortunately, despite the hope at the beginning of his administration, President Obama has done nothing to reverse the trend. Indeed things may be even worse.

I believe there are forces in government, the legal profession, human services, and media that do not want us connected because division brings social insecurity and political power. The less trust people experience, the more they will tend to look to government to protect them by going after the perceived bad guys. What some are calling the emerging soft police state may be related to this phenomenon.

Mistrust also leads to conspicuous consumption, which keeps the corporate community happy. People buy more stuff when they are scared and lonely.

This is an American crisis. I signifies massive societal devolution that often occurs before communities fall apart. Some even believe this may be a harbinger that the nation is about to split into smaller segments. The American community is in trouble.

Some of us in the grass roots are trying to do something about this and we believe time is running out. A radical course correction is needed. If you are interested in finding out more about the Revolution for Virtue and Common Sense, watch my upcoming show on Access Nashua and think about joining Common Sense Community Builders.

It is time we restore the American community.