Giving Compass' Take:

• Srik Gopal, writing for Democracy Fund, discusses the importance of trust and how philanthropists focus on solutions that address trustworthiness. 

• How does trust also play a role in philanthropy and democracy? 

• Here are 10 ways to rebuild trust in media and democracy. 

Research suggests (1) that higher levels of trust lead to: a) greater confidence in trusted individuals or institutions and b) a willingness to act based on that confidence. In the context of our national relationship to the news media, for instance, this implies that a significant majority of Americans may not be willing to act civically or otherwise based on the information provided by mass media outlets.

Three Important Lessons About Trust:

  1. Trust has both cognitive and affective dimensions
  2. Trust and trustworthiness are not the same
  3. Trustworthiness and trust have a counter-intuitive relationship

We recognize that in order to restore trust in democratic institutions, we need to work on multiple fronts. This by no means an easy task. Philanthropy, in general, tends to focus on solutions that address trustworthiness. For instance, an effort to improve education may focus primarily on educator competencies, or work to create a set of proficiency standards.

Read the source article about trust in democracy by Srik Gopal at Democracy Fund.