Lecture 1: Introduction
Introduction to trust
Trust in today’s society
There's a growing need for trust (Holmström, 2020)
● Especially in a society that's becoming more dynamic, uncertain and chaotic
The problem with trust today
People do not seem to trust institutions (organizations) much anymore
Why is that a problem?
● Society is built on trust
● Organizations cannot fulfil their (societal) role without trust
What is trust?
Three elements:
1. A truster: relatively stable
2. A trustee: relatively stable
3. An expected behavior: can shift from time to time
What is trust (IESS)
● Trust is imperative for interaction (so, it's communicative!)
● Greater trust is good for social relationships and for exchange
● In our globalized world, a more generalized interpersonal trust is necessary
Importance of trust
● Trust in institutions and the economy is essential!
● Trust improves economic processes: low trust can lead to deviations like mafia practices
● Trust is also necessary to build a civil society and a sustainable democracy
● Trust in institutions = societal expectations
Importance of media environment (Ariely, 2015)
Media are the window through which we understand the world around us
“Given the vital role the media plays in shaping citizen political assessment”
Media is important for our trust in democracy (you can't trust something without being rightfully
informed about it)
→ There’s a strong link between media and political trust
,Importance of trust
Why is trust important?
Which concepts are related to trust in the context of organizations?
E.g., legitimacy, reputation, credible information, power, ethics, complying with
regulation, conflict, crisis, make the world better, create value, shareholders, selling
products and services, stakeholders
What do organizations (institutions) do to gain trust?
Strategic communication!
Edelman Trust Barometer 2026
The Edelman Trust Barometer 2026 is a yearly research report that measures how much people
trust key institutions and what drives that trust.
What it does, in simple terms:
- It measures trust levels
It surveys about 34,000 people in 28 countries. It tracks trust in:
● Business
● Government
● Media
● NGOs
- It tracks changes over time
It has been running for over 25 years. This lets you see trends, for example rising distrust or
shifts in which institutions people trust most
“I trust business to do what is right” = 64
“I trust NGOs to do what is right” = 58
“I trust media to do what is right” = 54
“I trust government to do what is right” = 53
The number above is the average trust in ….
1-49 = distrust, 50-59 = neutral, 60-100 = trust
,The fear that foreign actors spread disinformation to sow domestic division hits all-time high in
15 of the 26 countries
“I worry that other countries purposefully contaminate our media with falsehoods to inflame our
differences”
Crisis of trust (Flew, 2019)
The general crisis of trust is underlying societal challenges
Populism and the crisis of trust
Where does the rise of populism come from?
2016 as a new period of historical change?
Populist moment in global politics, where ‘the uneven effects of globalisation on employment
and national economics, migration, racist backlash, and social anxiety’ act as structural supports
for ‘populist rhetoric [that] resonates with anti-elite sentiments, frustration and disenchantment
with the failings of democracy as well as anxieties and opposition to aspects of globalisation’
Populism and relation to declining trust
Factors underpinning the rise of populism
1. Populism and the traditional media
Populism and mediazation are strongly related
2. The rise of fake news
Fake news is driven by political and economic gains
Social media act as a catalyst of fake news
, 3. The platformised internet and the rise of social news:
Platformisation leads to network monopoly
With social media there are more alternative/skeptical sources and more partisan news
4. The crisis of institutional trust:
Institutions are failing to meet societal expectations
Public opinion data shows a drop in institutional trust in Western liberal democracies
There is lower trust in digital platforms
Cycle of institutionalized distrust + growing suspicion of elites
→ This leads to a spiral of distrust
Conclusion
● The crisis of trust is underlying many societal challenges (e.g., populism, fake news)
● The crisis of trust may become a self-fulfilling prophecy?
● The internet does not necessarily give power to the people
● Distrust goes hand in hand with the opposition of globalization
→ This leads to a rise of populist nationalism & disengagement from institutions
Organizations and the crisis of trust (van der Meer et al., 2024)
Conceptualize the ‘crisis of trust’
‘Multiple institutes are simultaneously no longer trusted, and the information ecosystem is
challenged by the constant fear of omni-presence of untrustworthy information”
We live in a context where:
- Institutional trust is declining
- Informational distrust is increasing
Distrust is becoming the default
→ This reflects a systematic condition, not a single crisis
Two levels of the crisis
1. Institutional trust
There is declining trust in government, media and some corporations
This is driven by polarization, scandals, media negativity
2. Informational trust
There is a growing fear of misinformation & disinformation (post-truth dynamics)
People experience difficulty distinguishing truth from falsehood
Mediatization & trust
Introduction to trust
Trust in today’s society
There's a growing need for trust (Holmström, 2020)
● Especially in a society that's becoming more dynamic, uncertain and chaotic
The problem with trust today
People do not seem to trust institutions (organizations) much anymore
Why is that a problem?
● Society is built on trust
● Organizations cannot fulfil their (societal) role without trust
What is trust?
Three elements:
1. A truster: relatively stable
2. A trustee: relatively stable
3. An expected behavior: can shift from time to time
What is trust (IESS)
● Trust is imperative for interaction (so, it's communicative!)
● Greater trust is good for social relationships and for exchange
● In our globalized world, a more generalized interpersonal trust is necessary
Importance of trust
● Trust in institutions and the economy is essential!
● Trust improves economic processes: low trust can lead to deviations like mafia practices
● Trust is also necessary to build a civil society and a sustainable democracy
● Trust in institutions = societal expectations
Importance of media environment (Ariely, 2015)
Media are the window through which we understand the world around us
“Given the vital role the media plays in shaping citizen political assessment”
Media is important for our trust in democracy (you can't trust something without being rightfully
informed about it)
→ There’s a strong link between media and political trust
,Importance of trust
Why is trust important?
Which concepts are related to trust in the context of organizations?
E.g., legitimacy, reputation, credible information, power, ethics, complying with
regulation, conflict, crisis, make the world better, create value, shareholders, selling
products and services, stakeholders
What do organizations (institutions) do to gain trust?
Strategic communication!
Edelman Trust Barometer 2026
The Edelman Trust Barometer 2026 is a yearly research report that measures how much people
trust key institutions and what drives that trust.
What it does, in simple terms:
- It measures trust levels
It surveys about 34,000 people in 28 countries. It tracks trust in:
● Business
● Government
● Media
● NGOs
- It tracks changes over time
It has been running for over 25 years. This lets you see trends, for example rising distrust or
shifts in which institutions people trust most
“I trust business to do what is right” = 64
“I trust NGOs to do what is right” = 58
“I trust media to do what is right” = 54
“I trust government to do what is right” = 53
The number above is the average trust in ….
1-49 = distrust, 50-59 = neutral, 60-100 = trust
,The fear that foreign actors spread disinformation to sow domestic division hits all-time high in
15 of the 26 countries
“I worry that other countries purposefully contaminate our media with falsehoods to inflame our
differences”
Crisis of trust (Flew, 2019)
The general crisis of trust is underlying societal challenges
Populism and the crisis of trust
Where does the rise of populism come from?
2016 as a new period of historical change?
Populist moment in global politics, where ‘the uneven effects of globalisation on employment
and national economics, migration, racist backlash, and social anxiety’ act as structural supports
for ‘populist rhetoric [that] resonates with anti-elite sentiments, frustration and disenchantment
with the failings of democracy as well as anxieties and opposition to aspects of globalisation’
Populism and relation to declining trust
Factors underpinning the rise of populism
1. Populism and the traditional media
Populism and mediazation are strongly related
2. The rise of fake news
Fake news is driven by political and economic gains
Social media act as a catalyst of fake news
, 3. The platformised internet and the rise of social news:
Platformisation leads to network monopoly
With social media there are more alternative/skeptical sources and more partisan news
4. The crisis of institutional trust:
Institutions are failing to meet societal expectations
Public opinion data shows a drop in institutional trust in Western liberal democracies
There is lower trust in digital platforms
Cycle of institutionalized distrust + growing suspicion of elites
→ This leads to a spiral of distrust
Conclusion
● The crisis of trust is underlying many societal challenges (e.g., populism, fake news)
● The crisis of trust may become a self-fulfilling prophecy?
● The internet does not necessarily give power to the people
● Distrust goes hand in hand with the opposition of globalization
→ This leads to a rise of populist nationalism & disengagement from institutions
Organizations and the crisis of trust (van der Meer et al., 2024)
Conceptualize the ‘crisis of trust’
‘Multiple institutes are simultaneously no longer trusted, and the information ecosystem is
challenged by the constant fear of omni-presence of untrustworthy information”
We live in a context where:
- Institutional trust is declining
- Informational distrust is increasing
Distrust is becoming the default
→ This reflects a systematic condition, not a single crisis
Two levels of the crisis
1. Institutional trust
There is declining trust in government, media and some corporations
This is driven by polarization, scandals, media negativity
2. Informational trust
There is a growing fear of misinformation & disinformation (post-truth dynamics)
People experience difficulty distinguishing truth from falsehood
Mediatization & trust
