The decline in social trust is a Western phenomenon. And particularly an American phenomenon. Because the opposite is happening abroad. Look at Edelman's trust numbers for China and India. They've been ascending with technology.

You can of course argue with the Edelman numbers[1] for any given jurisdiction. For example, I am skeptical about their stats for Nigeria and Kenya. However, their numbers do track both (a) the GDP figures[2] and (b) the visible improvement on the ground in places like Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, India, and China. In general, the big picture is that the former first world is now mostly the descending world. While much of the former third world is now the ascending world. There are some exceptions, but that’s the broad rule. [1]: [2]: See below.

You can of course argue with the Edelman numbers[1] for any given jurisdiction. For example, I am skeptical about their stats for Nigeria and Kenya. However, their numbers do track both (a) the GDP figures[2] and (b) the visible improvement on the ground in places like Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, India, and China. In general, the big picture is that the former first world is now mostly the descending world. While much of the former third world is now the ascending world. There are some exceptions, but that’s the broad rule. [1]: [2]: See below.