I believe that trust is essential for the foundations and functioning of modern democracy. Without trust, democracy will eventually begin to come under attack and decline in small ways, until the sum of these small aspects of removed freedoms, misinformation, vote or demographic manipulation, and other deceitful means of influencing democracy, will add up. It will create a status quo where the American model of democracy that has been recognized and revered in the world is no longer a democracy but merely an illusion of one. I think that events of recent years have shown that American democracy is on this dangerous path. Krastev (2013) notes that participation is a major issue, as many people no longer have the interest or trust to participate in the democratic process. This has been a gradual process as a result of major changes, such as cultural, technological, and brain science revolutions. In his words, “people can change governments, but they cannot change policies” (Krastev, 2013).
According to a Pew Research Survey, 75% of Americans distrust the government, and 64% have the low trust in fellow citizens, interestingly, 65% also indicate the low trust, particularly in the federal government, is making it difficult to solve the nation’s problems (Rainie & Perrin, 2019). I would agree with this, but the issue is so complex that there is no easy solution. As mentioned by Krastev (2013), the concepts of transparency and checks and balances in the government are good, but they will then lead to further mistrust as each political statement will be closely examined with rulers having to lead-based on public sentiment and showmanship rather than pragmatism. I think trust is just as essential as mistrust. Mistrust should be present in democracies as well, in healthy doses, as it stimulates political engagement and evaluation of political institutions by the people (van der Meer, 2017).
At the same time, I would argue that without trust there will be no foundation because people should have trust in the Constitution, the federal government, and each other. Trust is necessary first and foremost to facilitate key democratic processes to run the democratic institutions, such as voting and elections, and governance in accordance with the law. Trust has largely failed the American people as leaders have abused it for political gains and partisan objectives, rather than focusing on the true needs of its citizens.
References
Krastev, I. [TED-Ed]. (2013). Can democracy exist without trust? – Ivan Krastev [Video]. YouTube.
Rainie, L., & Perrin, A. (2019). Key findings about Americans’ declining trust in government and each other. Pew Research Center.
van der Meer, T. W. G. (2017). Political trust and the “crisis of democracy.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics.Web.