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As provinces open up, trust erodes when what we experience differs from what institutions tell us
This is an excerpt of an article written for The Conversation by Claudine Mangen, Concordia University.
Our trust in those around us is often challenged.
How our elected leaders have handled the pandemic makes many of us wonder whether we can trust them and the government. The “freedom convoy” occupation lead us to question our trust in police. The constant stream of misinformation makes us worry about which experts we can trust — including within the medical community. Rising inequalities have us question our economic system and those at its controls.
Trust is essential in our interactions. It refers to how we consider whether someone will behave predictably, with ability, benevolence and integrity. We consider someone trustworthy when we see them as capable of handling situations, considerate of the well-being of others and uninfluenced by conflicting interests.
Trust involves what we know about others and how we feel about them. In other words, trust has a cognitive dimension anchored in our knowledge and an emotional dimension grounded in our feelings.
