What are some of the things that you trust?
What are some of the things
that you trust?
“Japanese cars”
Frank,
56, Latino, independent
“Social security”
Tom,
67, white, Democrat
“The human
instinct to help”
Tina,
66, white, independent
Democracy struggles to function without a basic level of trust. Citizens need to trust in elections, in institutions and in one another. But today distrust seems pervasive: A 2022 Gallup poll found that the average level of confidence in a broad range of institutions like the military, the Supreme Court and big business was only 27 percent. We decided to conduct a focus group with 11 Democrats, Republicans and independents to explore how much they trusted — or didn’t trust — their fellow Americans and what was making them confident or skeptical.
When asked if they trusted other Americans, eight of the 11 participants said they did, though some of their reasons were practical rather than high-minded. “If I let all the mass shootings, the police stuff get to me, I would never leave the house,” said Melody, 51. Seven participants said it had gotten harder to trust other people over the past several years. Some pointed to specific events — one participant said she didn’t like to be in enclosed spaces ever since the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo. — that had influenced their perception of others, while others talked about general technological change as a driver of distrust.
“There’s a filter to change the shape of your body, to change your face, to change your skin. If you can’t trust what a person looks like or is, how can you have trust in anything?” said Melissa, 38.
As for building trust, both Democrats and Republicans talked mostly about values — showing more respect to other people, communicating better, listening better — and about spending less time isolating in social media. “I can’t tell you how many times I go out to eat and parents are on their devices, their kids are on devices,” said Tom, 67. “Building trust — how do you build trust when you’re not talking?”
Participants
Brian
48, Idaho, white, Republican, nurse
Dennis
57, Conn., white, independent, engineer
Eliot
28, Calif., Asian, Republican, process engineer
Frank
56, Calif., Latino, independent, mortgage lending
Gabby
27, Va., Latina, Democrat, funeral director
Judy
60, Ky., white, Republican, deli manager
Melissa
38, Ore., white, Democrat, Uber Eats driver
Melody
51, Texas, Black, Democrat, associate professor
Polly
50, Pa., white, Republican, furniture sales
Tina
66, Ariz., white, independent, retired
Tom
67, Texas, white, Democrat, benefits manager
Transcript
Moderator, Margie Omero
In a word or phrase, what is going well in America these days?
Dennis,
57, Conn., white, independent, engineer
Dissent, unfortunately.
Judy,
60, Ky., white, Republican, deli manager
I don’t know, and that makes me sad.
Brian,
48, Idaho, white, Republican, nurse
Not much right now.
Polly,
50, Pa., white, Republican, furniture sales
Greater unity.
Tom,
67, Texas, white, Democrat, benefits manager
Engagement.
Tina,
66, Ariz., white, independent, retired
No responsibility.
Melody,
51, Texas, Black, Democrat, associate professor
For me, the economy is OK.
Eliot,
28, Calif., Asian, Republican, process engineer
The development and the discussion around technology, like A.I.
Melissa,
38, Ore., white, Democrat, Uber Eats driver
I can’t think of a single thing.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Dennis, tell me what you meant by “dissent.”
Dennis,
57, Conn., white, independent, engineer
It may not be physical, but fighting is going well.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Polly, you said “coming together.”
Polly,
50, Pa., white, Republican, furniture sales
There’s a lot of division, but there are a lot of people that choose to come together on the same page, no matter what their political opinion is.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Tom, what did you mean by “engagement”?
Tom,
67, Texas, white, Democrat, benefits manager
People are fired up and passionate about what they believe in.
Moderator, Margie Omero
A few of you said nothing is going well, or you at least couldn’t think of anything positive. How long have you felt this way?
Judy,
60, Ky., white, Republican, deli manager
Quite a while. Maybe the last 10 years.
Brian,
48, Idaho, white, Republican, nurse
It’s probably been 10, 15 years. We don’t really have stuff to look forward to anymore. We could have World War III before too long. Everything’s in chaos.
Melissa,
38, Ore., white, Democrat, Uber Eats driver
I could probably pinpoint the beginning of these feelings to 2016. I’m married to a woman, and I’m very liberal. It’s hard to find any optimism, personally, in what’s going on with book bans and trans people and gay rights and abortion. I live on the West Coast, but I just feel for what’s going on in the country.
Moderator, Margie Omero
What’s not going well in America today?
Gabby,
27, Va., Latina, Democrat, funeral director
Finances.
Melissa,
38, Ore., white, Democrat, Uber Eats driver
Tolerance.
Dennis,
57, Conn., white, independent, engineer
Book banning.
Judy,
60, Ky., white, Republican, deli manager
Disrespect.
Brian,
48, Idaho, white, Republican, nurse
Start at the top: the government.
Frank,
56, Calif., Latino, independent, mortgage lending
The government, both federal and local.
Polly,
50, Pa., white, Republican, furniture sales
The economy.
Tom,
67, Texas, white, Democrat, benefits manager
Unity.
Tina,
66, Ariz., white, independent, retired
I was going to say “unity,” too.
Melody,
51, Texas, Black, Democrat, associate professor
Violence.
Eliot,
28, Calif., Asian, Republican, process engineer
Global awareness.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Tina, you said “unity.”
Tina,
66, Ariz., white, independent, retired
I was brought up to believe that if you see a problem, you unite. You identify it, you confront it, and you deal with it. You come up with a resolution that’s amicable to everyone who’s involved. Now it just seems like it’s everybody else’s responsibility to correct everything that’s wrong.
Moderator, Margie Omero
When did you feel that changed?
Tina,
66, Ariz., white, independent, retired
Starting back as far as 2008, with iPhones. People started to prefer to have their face turned toward a machine rather than a person.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Eliot, you said “global awareness” was a problem.
Eliot,
28, Calif., Asian, Republican, process engineer
In the U.S., a lot of people are more or less preoccupied with news given to them. The news is often curated to your interests. It tells you what you want to see, and that may not necessarily be something meaningful or really that important in the grand scheme of things.
Do you trust your
fellow Americans?
Do you trust your fellow Americans?
Yes, I do trust my fellow Americans.
Brian,
48, white, Republican
Dennis,
57, white, independent
Eliot,
28, Asian, Republican
Frank,
56, Latino, independent
Judy,
60, white, Republican
Melody,
51, Black, Democrat
Polly,
50, white, Republican
Tom,
67, white, Democrat
No, I do not trust my fellow Americans.
Gabby,
27, Latina, Democrat
Melissa,
38, white, Democrat
Tina,
66, white, independent
Frank,
56, Calif., Latino, independent, mortgage lending
“Trust but verify” is my philosophy. I do want to be trusting of people. But at the same time, I don’t want to be gullible. I’m usually guarded with what I say because I don’t want to have issues later on. I have to feel comfortable with somebody before I say, “OK, I’m going to let my guard down.”
Moderator, Margie Omero
What kind of issues are you anticipating?
Frank,
56, Calif., Latino, independent, mortgage lending
I don’t want any violence, and I’m in business. I don’t want any bad blood. People hold grudges.
Dennis,
57, Conn., white, independent, engineer
While politics is very polarizing, I find it refreshing that there are a lot of people that are against book banning. There are a lot of states that wanted to ban abortion, only to put it up for a vote and find out that their constituents really didn’t want that. So in general, I think people were a little more tolerant than politics and Twitter would lead you to believe.
Melody,
51, Texas, Black, Democrat, associate professor
I’m generally a trusting person. I live in Texas, where guns are everywhere. We just had a mass shooting at a shopping mall that I have been to before. I just don’t want to live my life in fear. I trust in God. I lock my doors, but I try to be kind to people and just pray that they are having a good day and not taking their bad day out on me. I feel like if I live my life in fear and don’t have a certain amount of trust when I go out, it would just be too stressful. Every time my 6-foot-3, 20-year-old son goes out, though, even if it’s just to the grocery store, I pray that he’ll be OK.
Tom,
67, Texas, white, Democrat, benefits manager
I think about everyday interactions with people. I’m cautious, as we all should be. But I grew up in the ’60s. And it was definitely a different time.
Moderator, Margie Omero
What’s changed between previous decades and now?
Tom,
67, Texas, white, Democrat, benefits manager
People used to come together. Political parties used to at least get things done. Now it’s “You’re on my side, or you’re against me.”
Moderator, Margie Omero
Do you think it’s more divided now than in the ’60s?
Tom,
67, Texas, white, Democrat, benefits manager
Oh, absolutely.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Gabby, you said you generally don’t trust fellow Americans.
Gabby,
27, Va., Latina, Democrat, funeral director
Absolutely not. In my industry, I see a lot. I have seen countless hate crimes — pointless, no reason — not against me, but being Hispanic, gay and living in Richmond, I’m a part of the minority here. It’s a more united city. And even though I am not personally targeted, I have been in the past. And until the day comes where everybody can come together, over everything, there’s not going to be a single day that I trust the person standing right next to me.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Was there a specific time that this sense of distrust shifted for you, Gabby?
Gabby,
27, Va., Latina, Democrat, funeral director
It was the movie theater shooting, the one that happened at the “Batman” premiere. And ever since then, I don’t like enclosed spaces. Everybody was there for one reason, to watch the movie, except for one person who was obviously there for an entirely different reason.
Moderator, Margie Omero
When I ask this question, “Can you trust your fellow Americans?” how many people are thinking about mass shootings?
Melissa,
38, Ore., white, Democrat, Uber Eats driver
Definitely thinking about mass shootings. And again, being married to a woman — we love road trips. Could I go to certain states or parts of states? Not with my wife and how she looks and everything. I also just think about people in my family. I can’t trust them, also, for being anti-gay.
Frank,
56, Calif., Latino, independent, mortgage lending
So you had asked a question about growing up. And in my experience, in the ’80s, there was more honor, more respect, more caring for people. Nowadays, nobody wants to take accountability. There is a lack of parenting. Manners. Respect.
Moderator, Patrick Healy
What does the word “trust” mean to you?
Dennis,
57, Conn., white, independent, engineer
It’s kind of like honor. You can earn it. You can lose it really easy.
Polly,
50, Pa., white, Republican, furniture sales
Trust is whether you can depend on people or not. Whether they’re trustworthy.
Judy,
60, Ky., white, Republican, deli manager
You can count on them to be there for you or confide in them.
Melody,
51, Texas, Black, Democrat, associate professor
I have two different kinds of trust. There’s trust in general, for the world, and personal trust. Personal trust is usually broken because of a single situation. But if I let all the mass shootings, the police stuff get to me, I would never leave the house.
Moderator, Patrick Healy
Melody, can you say more about the difference between trust in people and trust in institutions?
Melody,
51, Texas, Black, Democrat, associate professor
When it comes to institutions, I wouldn’t say that I trust them. I still get a little nervous when I see the police. I have been stopped by the police for a reason that I didn’t feel like was a good reason, like not using my signal. And then they want to look in the car and all these kinds of things. My trust is a conscious effort. It’s like, “OK, I’m going to go here. I’m going to have a good time. And I’m going to be all right.”
Moderator, Patrick Healy
Melody, you talked about the police. Melissa, you talked about family members. When that trust is broken, does it just lead to mistrust of those specific people — maybe the police, maybe the family members — or does it metastasize, by which I mean, does the mistrust start spreading just beyond the immediate person or institution?
Melissa,
38, Ore., white, Democrat, Uber Eats driver
Especially from a young age, if I can’t trust my family, can I trust anyone? Of course, my friends have become more of a family. But when something happens to you when you’re young — that’s what my therapist is for. So yeah, it puts a bad taste in your mouth for mankind for me, personally.
Melody,
51, Texas, Black, Democrat, associate professor
We were taught, at a young age, to be cautious of some institutions, like police. As things happen more and more and more — somebody with a camera, they broadcast it. And you’re just more cautious. You think twice before you call for help.
Moderator, Patrick Healy
Thinking about America, what are some of the things — institutions, leaders, specific leaders, organizations, ideas, other entities — that you do trust?
Frank,
56, Calif., Latino, independent, mortgage lending
The reliability of Japanese cars. The news is skewed, one way or another.
Tina,
66, Ariz., white, independent, retired
I believe in the innate goodness of mankind in general. When a disaster happens, all of a sudden, there’s no more Black, there’s no more white, there’s no more Jewish, there’s no more Baptist. Everybody will pull together and help everybody. But as soon as that disaster has been overcome, then all of a sudden, they’re back to that same profiling of differences.
Moderator, Patrick Healy
When a tragedy happens and people come together, is that because they’ve suddenly started trusting each other more? Or is it some other human instinct, do you think?
Tina,
66, Ariz., white, independent, retired
I think it’s just the human instinct to help. I think we are programmed for certain emotions since we’re children. I think we’re programmed to trust and mistrust. And it’s very hard to resist that because if you don’t go with the group, you’re an outsider.
Tom,
67, Texas, white, Democrat, benefits manager
I trust Social Security.
Moderator, Patrick Healy
What are some of the things that you don’t trust in America?
Brian,
48, Idaho, white, Republican, nurse
Our government, from the top down, on both sides, I don’t trust right now. You can’t trust them to get anything done.
Judy,
60, Ky., white, Republican, deli manager
Government. I agree with him.
Moderator, Patrick Healy
Did something happen, Judy, to you personally that made you less trusting of the government?
Judy,
60, Ky., white, Republican, deli manager
Just what I see, what I read. Just the world, the chaos, everything that’s going on right now, the power and the greed.
Scale of 1 to 5, how trustworthy is
the federal government? The entire
federal government, all three
branches, the federal
agencies, our military, all of it.
Scale of 1 to 5, how trustworthy is the federal government? The entire federal government, all three branches, the federal agencies, our military, all of it.
1 means the federal government is not at all trustworthy and 5 means the federal government is totally trustworthy.
1
Brian,
48, white, Republican
2
Frank,
56, Latino, independent
Gabby,
27, Latina, Democrat
Melissa,
38, white, Democrat
Melody,
51, Black, Democrat
Polly,
50, white, Republican
3
Dennis,
57, white, independent
Judy,
60, white, Republican
Tina,
66, white, independent
Tom,
67, white, Democrat
4
Eliot,
28, Asian, Republican
5
No one raised their hand.
Moderator, Patrick Healy
OK, now, specifically, how about Congress, the military, the White House, the Supreme Court, our criminal justice system, the C.D.C., the news media — which of these things do you trust the most, and which ones you trust the least on that list?
Gabby,
27, Va., Latina, Democrat, funeral director
I think I would trust the C.D.C. the most. And then from there, the least would be — do all of the other options count?
Polly,
50, Pa., white, Republican, furniture sales
So I trust the military, maybe Congress to a lesser degree. Who would I trust the least? Probably some of the news media, some not. But I would put the C.D.C. down at the bottom as a not trust.
Moderator, Patrick Healy
Is there a reason for that, Polly, that you don’t trust the C.D.C.?
Polly,
50, Pa., white, Republican, furniture sales
I think that there’s more out there to explore. I don’t think they’re doing their job.
Moderator, Patrick Healy
OK. And how about the news media?
Polly,
50, Pa., white, Republican, furniture sales
I think it just depends what channel you listen to. They’re either one side or the other. Can you just give me nonbiased news? That’s what I would like. Just straightforward news, no opinions. That would be nice.
Moderator, Patrick Healy
How do others see the news media, especially compared to maybe five or 10 years ago?
Dennis,
57, Conn., white, independent, engineer
I would say 10 years ago, there was more trust in it. But that was primarily because I had no reason to hear about Fox News lying or any of the other right-wingers, like Newsmax or OAN or anything. Now, does that mean that CNN was totally nonbiased? No, I don’t think it was. Neither was my MSNBC. But even Walter Cronkite had his own agenda. You probably didn’t realize it as much because there wasn’t another voice saying that.
Melissa,
38, Ore., white, Democrat, Uber Eats driver
I agree with him. I’m liberal. I got into politics in my early 20s. And I knew about Fox News. But it definitely feels louder these days. It feels like those channels are yelling more. And when something has to be loud, I find there’s a purpose behind that. You’re being loud because you aren’t being listened to, because you are wrong. And I don’t watch CNN, either. But it just feels like they’re wanting you to hate everyone from both sides. I’m an NPR listener.
Moderator, Patrick Healy
A majority of you said that in general, you trust your fellow Americans. But many of you also said you don’t trust the government, which is made up of your fellow Americans. Why is that?
Frank,
56, Calif., Latino, independent, mortgage lending
The congressman or -woman — they’re getting their money for their PACs, they’re more pushing an agenda.
Brian,
48, Idaho, white, Republican, nurse
I have a problem with career politicians. We need to bring in term limits so we get an actual representation of the people. We need to start over.
Judy,
60, Ky., white, Republican, deli manager
Not all people in politics are not bad. But what I see, from what I read and listen to, it’s just about the greed. It’s just a constant chaos between all of them for who can get more.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Talk to me a little bit about trust in the Supreme Court.
Tom,
67, Texas, white, Democrat, benefits manager
I have a problem with the Supreme Court. I feel like there are maybe too many people on the take, which doesn’t sit well with me at all. And as a gay man, I do worry about having someone taking away equal rights. Why should anyone in our government take away basic rights?
Eliot,
28, Calif., Asian, Republican, process engineer
One of the topics that’s been trending is the concerns around the financial history of Clarence Thomas, for example. It’s definitely a conversation that is worth having. Historically, they’ve been life appointees so that they wouldn’t be subject to the whims of the masses. But this matters.
Tina,
66, Ariz., white, independent, retired
Because they’re the highest authority for moral issues a lot of the time, I think that each individual needs to be as objective as possible. But I think over time, their own personal opinions get the better of them. The Supreme Court is supposed to be the one entity that is as objective as possible on all the issues. Now they’re too personally involved, and they’re highly influenced by political parties.
Over the last few years, has it become easier to
trust people, more difficult or about the same?
Over the last few years, has it become easier to trust people, more difficult or about the same?
It has become easier to trust people.
No one raised their hand.
It has become more difficult to trust people.
Brian,
48, white, Republican
Eliot,
28, Asian, Republican
Gabby,
27, Latina, Democrat
Melissa,
38, white, Democrat
Melody,
51, Black, Democrat
Tina,
66, white, independent
Tom,
67, white, Democrat
It has not become easier or harder to trust people.
Dennis,
57, white, independent
Frank,
56, Latino, independent
Polly,
50, white, Republican
Eliot,
28, Calif., Asian, Republican, process engineer
I think people are more willing to speak up about politics, which is probably good for society, in a way. But it can mean that something that used to be a more private topic or a more subtle topic can now cause open conflict.
Moderator, Margie Omero
What changed, do you think, to make it so that people are more vocal?
Eliot,
28, Calif., Asian, Republican, process engineer
Social media.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Gabby, what’s made it harder?
Gabby,
27, Va., Latina, Democrat, funeral director
Everything around us is changing. But there’s a lot of things that are staying the same and not willing to be changed.
Moderator, Margie Omero
What’s changing, and what’s not changing?
Gabby,
27, Va., Latina, Democrat, funeral director
Folks say the future is female. I can personally agree with that. Females are overtaking everything. Females are going to be the next C.E.O.s of almost every company out there. I can do my job just as well as the next man can. People refuse to believe that. There’s no possible way that you can do the same job I can and get paid the same. I have no trust that things like that are ever going to change.
Brian,
48, Idaho, white, Republican, nurse
Yeah, nowadays, everybody has an agenda. We’re bombarded by opinions. Social media is a big part of it. People on both sides run their mouths. But if you were to talk to them in person, they wouldn’t do that.
Melody,
51, Texas, Black, Democrat, associate professor
We can’t agree to disagree anymore, and sometimes, when people give their opinions, they’re very forceful and aggressive. And we’re not trying to understand the other person’s side or even admit that the other person might be making some good points. That’s why I stopped watching the news, because first of all, it’s depressing and it makes me cry but also because when they’re on, they’re shouting at each other.
Tina,
66, Ariz., white, independent, retired
I’m nodding my head with Melody because people aren’t willing to listen to what the other person has to say. It’s combative. So immediately, you’re going to be defensive because you want to protect yourself.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Are you having these interactions in your personal life, or are you witnessing them from afar?
Judy,
60, Ky., white, Republican, deli manager
It’s like that in the work force. It’s like that with my group of friends. Let’s just use abortion as an example. There’s going to be people for it, people against it. People have their reasons why. And we pretty much all do agree to disagree. But there’s always some hurt feelings. You find stuff out about people that you didn’t know until you get into these heated discussions.
Dennis,
57, Conn., white, independent, engineer
There’s no live and let live. There are people that I don’t speak to about politics because I know what theirs are. I have a trans daughter. And they don’t know that. I don’t bring it up. I don’t advertise it. I’ll defend it if it comes up, but nobody knows. And guess what? They’re not hurting anybody. Let them live their life. Just do that.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Tell me about a time when you had a good experience, in terms of trust.
Judy,
60, Ky., white, Republican, deli manager
I had a close friend who went through a very debilitating illness. And it affected every aspect of her life, her family, her work, everything. And it was amazing to me, the people that banded together to help her, that went out of their way, who didn’t just say, “Call me if you need anything,” but who showed up, dropped off meals, went and paid her bills for her, took her kids to their games and their practices. That was community, coming together.
Polly,
50, Pa., white, Republican, furniture sales
I filed for divorce seven years ago. And I’ve had a great network of friends and family who have supported me throughout this entire time — financially, emotionally, everything.
Dennis,
57, Conn., white, independent, engineer
We’ve seen it with football when Damar Hamlin had that accident. Everybody donated to his GoFundMe page. People were trying to help because they found out that he was helping children in areas of blight. And so people donated like crazy to help his charity help those children.
Tina,
66, Ariz., white, independent, retired
That’s the point I made earlier: When there’s a calamity or a disaster, you have unity. But to me, the best thing is when I see somebody coming down out of a grocery store or walking down the street and they look like they’re having a really bad day, I give them a smile. Or I hold the door open for them. Or maybe they hold the door open for me. I take the time to say thank you. And that has made such an impression, it happens so infrequently, it now comes as such a shock to people just to be nice.
Brian,
48, Idaho, white, Republican, nurse
Well, the big one was 9/11, when everybody came together as a country. We had no color. We weren’t Black, white, red, green, whatever. We were Americans.
Melissa,
38, Ore., white, Democrat, Uber Eats driver
Except Muslims.
Moderator, Margie Omero
What are some ways trust can be rebuilt?
Dennis,
57, Conn., white, independent, engineer
I’d love to see more scouting. I’m a former Scout leader. I’m an Eagle Scout. The program — the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts — they’ve been decimated with Covid and tons of other activities. Kids aren’t getting outdoors. They’re not learning to be self-sufficient. They’re not learning to take care of themselves. They’re not learning to give back. I’d like to see that become really big again.
Gabby,
27, Va., Latina, Democrat, funeral director
If my generation can come back with respect for the elderly and respect for the kids who are younger than me, I think that will help build a lot more trust. Why does it have to come to a 9/11-type event to bring us together?
Eliot,
28, Calif., Asian, Republican, process engineer
I think if we can feel encouraged to work hard, to set good examples, like one of the other participants said, just smiling more and being more positive to other people, I think that will have a net positive effect. I don’t think that the responsibility should fall to government or to businesses to impact societal change. I think it has to be from everyday people.
Frank,
56, Calif., Latino, independent, mortgage lending
I think it starts at the top. For instance, Representative Santos — apparently, allegedly, he lied on his résumé and all these things that he did. And instead of hiding behind the G.O.P., because they don’t want to lose seats in Congress, they should have said, “Let’s get him out of here.” Or he should stand up and make an example of himself.
Moderator, Margie Omero
So that would be a trust builder.
Frank,
56, Calif., Latino, independent, mortgage lending
Yes, absolutely.
Moderator, Margie Omero
In who? Who would it restore your trust in?
Frank,
56, Calif., Latino, independent, mortgage lending
I would start to say, “OK, Washington’s doing the right thing.”
Moderator, Margie Omero
Tom, how about you?
Tom,
67, Texas, white, Democrat, benefits manager
I can’t tell you how many times I go out to eat and parents are on their devices, their kids are on devices. There’s no communication. I hate to say “when I was a kid,” but honestly, parents used to talk to their kids. And I think it just creates some isolation there, when there’s no communication. Building trust — how do you build trust when you’re not talking?
Moderator, Margie Omero
Is trust something that’s harder to earn or harder to lose?
Melody,
51, Texas, Black, Democrat, associate professor
It’s harder to earn. My default is trust. So when someone does something untrustworthy, I believe it takes more steps to build that trust back up.
Judy,
60, Ky., white, Republican, deli manager
I like to think all people are basically good, decent human beings. So for someone to abuse that with me — everything’s from my heart — it’d be very hard for them to rebuild that trust with me.
Tina,
66, Ariz., white, independent, retired
Right, once trust is betrayed, the hard part is getting it back again.
Brian,
48, Idaho, white, Republican, nurse
I think it’s harder to trust people in the beginning. People have to earn it with me. I can read people pretty decently.
Moderator, Margie Omero
We’re headed toward the wrap-up. Let’s say you’re in charge of rebuilding the trust that people have in each other and in their fellow Americans, in our institutions, just trust in general. You’re C.T.O., chief trust officer. What would you do to improve trust in each other and in our institutions?
Frank,
56, Calif., Latino, independent, mortgage lending
For me, it would have to be leading by example, making sure that I was diligently dealing with issues that arise and making sure that they’re dealt with fairly, swiftly and was also very fair in my decision making.
Melissa,
38, Ore., white, Democrat, Uber Eats driver
I’d get rid of social media. Everyone lies on social media because they just want likes or comments. What would the Kardashians be without social media? There’s a filter to change the shape of your body, to change your face, to change your skin. If you can’t trust what a person looks like or is, how can you have trust in anything?
Tina,
66, Ariz., white, independent, retired
I’d be friendly and honest. And I would encourage that with everyone. And I think it would start a fad.
Eliot,
28, Calif., Asian, Republican, process engineer
If you look at the past few decades, it seems like people are individually more capable of doing things. And A.I. could potentially change everything. Even an individual person trying to run a small business, now, with technology, has the capability to do things that they never could have before.
Melissa,
38, Ore., white, Democrat, Uber Eats driver
As a pessimist — or a realist, as my wife likes to call me — I just don’t see things getting better. I know that sounds really depressing. I see technology making us worse.