Truth, Transparency, and Togetherness: Restoring the Foundations of Democracy

Bridging the Divide: How to Rebuild Trust in Democracy

Trust is vital for democracy – trust in institutions, a rules-based system, and, most of all, trust among citizens. Yet for years now, and increasing in recent times, thick layers of mistrust have formed that threaten to erode the very pillars of democratic societies. Disinformation, political polarization, and feelings of disenfranchisement have led to negative social-trust trends across the West. The essence of the problem and the long-term solutions to restore trust in our societies are broad, not narrow.

The viral spread of disinformation has become one of the most urgent. We need to tackle false news, output by domestic and foreign propaganda machines that create social divisions, erode public faith in institutions, and sow suspicion. More outstanding media literacy education is the minimum starting point to help citizens navigate information flows and separate the reliable from the unreliable. Fact-checking operations need more support, while online platforms must play their part in reducing the viral spread of harmful content by having better algorithms and content-moderation procedures.

The second is representation and access. Trust also depends on the perception that the political system is responsive to citizen concerns. In the US, we need to do more to improve turnout. We need to find a way to achieve fair redistricting and explore reforms that could create more significant opportunities for participation, such as ranked-choice voting. To the extent that our system is trusted to reflect the will of citizens, it reinforces the social compact.

But transparency and accountability make good bedfellows, too. Openness breeds trust. Open governance means making government decision-making processes visible, holding government officials accountable for their actions, and reducing (and punishing) illegal and corrupt actions. It means letting citizens see what their governments are up to and having the power to change course when things go wrong.

Second, we must restore civics education. Too many citizens lack even a basic understanding of how democracy is supposed to work. By restoring robust civics to our public schools' curriculum, we can create a citizenry who both know-how and are motivated to make democracy work. We can start teaching children that our government isn’t supposed to be efficient, that government is a business meant to be conducted in the ‘red,’ and that while criticism of our government’s performance is an essential aspect of government, both criticism and good government depend on our willingness to strive toward compromise.

We must focus on resolving the deep political divides that have resulted in cultural polarization with echo chambers and hardened positions making compromise impossible. We can encourage cross-ideological discourse by hosting discussions on thoughtful and critical approaches to issues, respectful dialogue across the political spectrum, and other citizen forums or community-based initiatives. Another is to support local media: newspapers, radio, and television. They are watchdogs, holding institutions to account and frequently reflecting the diversity of voices of the local community. They should be supported by grants, tax breaks, and libraries. The more the local information environment strengthens, the more trust will develop in local government.

 Finally, rebuilding faith in democracy begins with regaining faith in each other. Civic volunteering, generous social programs, and public displays of generosity can reinforce community. Trust can multiply when neighbors see one another as co-citizens bound together by the common good.

 Restoring social trust in democracy is a generational project. Citizens must take the first step, and once they have done so, principled, pragmatic leaders must keep pressing. Institutions must assist with repairing the broken pillars of democratic trust so we can again be more just, inclusive, resilient, and unified.