Society, as the English poet John Donne emphasized in 1624, is fundamentally interconnected, for ‘No man is an island entire of itself. Today, this timeless insight resonates more than ever as modern society faces a crisis of trust. The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, a comprehensive global survey spanning 28 countries and over 33,900 respondents, reveals that public trust is not only declining but also increasingly localized and selective.
People are turning inward, relying only on those who share their perspectives, values, or information sources. This growing insularity signals a fundamental shift in how individuals perceive their relationship with society, institutions, and each other. The implications extend far beyond politics or business, touching every aspect of communal and global life.
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Understanding the Edelman Trust Barometer
The Edelman Trust Barometer has become the gold standard for measuring trust in institutions, leaders, and society. It tracks public sentiment regarding governments, corporations, NGOs, and media, as well as interpersonal trust. In the 2026 edition, the survey uncovered alarming trends: people are increasingly skeptical of individuals whose beliefs or information sources differ from their own, and trust in institutions continues to decline.
While trust in family, colleagues, or local leaders remains relatively high, generalized trust in society is eroding. This combination of insularity and shrinking faith in institutions reflects a world struggling to navigate economic, political, and social uncertainty while simultaneously facing global challenges that require cooperation and collective action.
From Polarization to Insularity
Trust erosion has evolved in stages over the past decade. Initially, polarization dominated — people disagreed politically and culturally but still engaged with opposing viewpoints. By the early 2020s, grievance became the defining sentiment, as citizens perceived that elites and institutions were self-serving and unaccountable. Today, 2026 marks the era of insularity, where withdrawal replaces confrontation. People no longer just disagree or feel angry; they retreat from engagement, avoiding interaction with those who differ from them. Insularity represents a deeper, more concerning societal trend: a selective trust environment that undermines cohesion, dialogue, and the ability to work collectively on shared problems.
Economic Anxiety as a Driver
Economic insecurity is a core factor driving this retreat into insularity. Individuals are increasingly concerned about jobs, trade dynamics, automation, and income inequality. Fears of technological disruption, especially from AI, and uneven global economic recovery have heightened uncertainty. When people feel economically threatened, they instinctively restrict trust to familiar circles, viewing outsiders as potential competitors or threats. This localized trust, while protective in the short term, creates fragmented communities that struggle to collaborate, weakening the very structures needed for resilience, growth, and social stability.
Collapse in Optimism
Global optimism about the future has also declined sharply. The 2026 survey shows that only a small fraction of respondents believe the next generation will be better off than the current one, reflecting a broader pessimism about societal progress. When hope diminishes, people are less motivated to engage with others who are different or to invest in public goods. Insularity becomes a psychological shield against disappointment and uncertainty. The decline of optimism further amplifies the distrust of institutions and the reluctance to engage across divides, creating a feedback loop that reinforces social fragmentation and narrows the scope of collective action.
Declining Institutional Trust
Institutional trust — in governments, corporations, and NGOs — has been falling steadily over the last 25 years, but recent crises have accelerated the decline. Citizens perceive institutions as unaccountable, opaque, or serving elite interests. Global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, economic shocks, and uneven policy responses have heightened skepticism. When institutional leadership is questioned, people are less likely to accept expert advice, comply with public guidance, or participate in collective initiatives. This erosion of institutional credibility not only impairs governance but also pushes individuals toward insularity, as people retreat to small, familiar networks where they feel secure and heard.
The Information Crisis and Echo Chambers
The digital age has intensified insularity through fragmented information ecosystems. People increasingly rely on sources that reinforce their existing beliefs while dismissing alternative perspectives. Social media algorithms, misinformation, and selective media consumption create self-contained echo chambers, where individuals rarely encounter dissenting viewpoints. This separation fosters distrust and impedes dialogue, as each group operates with a different understanding of facts, priorities, and solutions. The result is a society divided not only by ideology but also by competing realities, where cooperation and consensus-building become exponentially harder.
Trust in People Versus Institutions
Despite declining trust in institutions, individuals continue to place higher confidence in personal relationships and local networks. Family, friends, colleagues, doctors, and community leaders retain significant credibility. This highlights an important paradox: humans remain social and cooperative within trusted circles, yet generalized trust, which is necessary for societal cohesion, is weakening. The narrowing of trust to familiar individuals and organizations limits the capacity for broad collaboration, cross-cultural understanding, and collective problem-solving, ultimately undermining the social contract that sustains stable and functional societies.
Social Fragmentation and Polarization
The retreat into insularity manifests as social fragmentation. Communities fracture along lines of ideology, culture, profession, and information consumption. Dialogue between differing groups diminishes, and public spaces — online and offline — increasingly host homogeneous clusters of similar-minded individuals. This fragmentation exacerbates polarization, as isolated groups reinforce internal narratives while demonizing outsiders. Over time, social cohesion weakens, trust erodes, and conflicts are more likely to escalate rather than be resolved constructively, leaving societies vulnerable to both domestic and international instability.
Nationalism and Protectionism
Insularity contributes directly to rising nationalism and protectionism. Citizens prioritize domestic interests, local brands, and familiar systems over global cooperation or multinational collaboration. This shift is economic, cultural, and political. Economically, local businesses and products are favored, while global supply chains and multinational partnerships are met with skepticism. Culturally, communities resist foreign influence, perceiving it as threatening to identity. Politically, nationalist movements gain traction, advocating for policies that prioritize the interests of a select in-group. While this may provide short-term security, it risks undermining long-term stability, international collaboration, and the ability to address global challenges.
Impact on Political Systems
In politics, insularity reduces compromise and civic engagement. With declining trust in government and fellow citizens, political debate becomes less about dialogue and more about competition. Citizens disengage from elections, deliberation, and public service, believing their participation has little impact. Political systems struggle to function effectively when public support and legitimacy erode, leaving space for populism, extremism, and authoritarian tendencies to flourish. Trust is no longer a societal lubricant but a scarce resource, concentrated in select circles and absent from the broader political landscape.
Impact on Business and the Workplace
Businesses are not immune to these trends. Trust within organizations, especially toward immediate supervisors and colleagues, remains higher than in external institutions. Yet employees are quick to lose confidence in leadership that seems misaligned with their values or priorities. Global crises, automation fears, and perceived corporate opacity exacerbate this distrust. Companies must navigate increasingly selective trust networks within their workforce, ensuring transparency, inclusion, and ethical leadership. The workplace emerges as both a microcosm of societal trust and a potential site for cultivating cross-cultural and intergroup understanding.
Civic Engagement and Information Ecosystem Challenges
The erosion of trust has profound implications for civic engagement. Disconnected citizens are less likely to participate in voting, volunteering, or collective action. Simultaneously, the information environment contributes to insularity, as people rely on selective news sources and social media filters. Fragmented understanding of reality prevents consensus-building, complicates policy implementation, and reduces societal resilience. The challenge is compounded by the perception that traditional authorities — media, experts, government agencies — cannot be trusted, making the role of credible intermediaries even more critical.
The Role of Trust Brokers
The 2026 Edelman report highlights the concept of trust brokers as a potential remedy for societal insularity. Trust brokers are individuals or organizations capable of bridging divides by facilitating dialogue, emphasizing shared goals, and fostering mutual understanding. Employers, community leaders, doctors, educators, and NGOs can serve as trust brokers. In workplaces, structured dialogue and inclusive culture can encourage collaboration across differences. Community programs and civic initiatives can similarly promote understanding across ideological, cultural, and social boundaries. Trust brokers help rebuild the connective tissue of society, counteracting polarization and enabling cooperation.
Trust as a Social and Economic Foundation
Trust is not merely a moral virtue; it is the foundation of functioning societies and economies. High-trust communities are more cooperative, innovative, resilient, and capable of collective problem-solving. Conversely, low-trust environments struggle with coordination, conflict resolution, economic development, and governance. The decline of trust, if left unchecked, threatens social stability, economic prosperity, and the capacity to respond to crises such as climate change, pandemics, or technological disruption. Restoring trust, both interpersonal and institutional, is therefore essential not only for social cohesion but for survival in an interconnected world.
Building Bridges in a Fragmented World
According to the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, more than 70% of people are hesitant to trust people who have different viewpoints, backgrounds, or sources of information. Society is increasingly insular, localized, and selective in its trust. Yet, there is hope. By nurturing trust brokers — in workplaces, communities, and civic organizations — society can rebuild dialogue, collaboration, and shared purpose. Restoring trust requires conscious effort, empathy, and the creation of safe spaces for engagement across differences.
In a world of rising nationalism, economic uncertainty, and fragmented information, trust remains the most powerful instrument for unity, resilience, and progress — but only if it is actively cultivated and protected. As John Donne warned, we are all interconnected; failing to recognize this interdependence leaves societies vulnerable, fractured, and unable to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
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