Why is the United States falling behind globally in public trust in its institutions among its peers? What can the Government Relations Association and its members do about this?

Forrester’s Global Government, Society, And Trust Survey, 2025 tackled this issue recently by studying more than 11,000 respondents across Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the United States. They define trust as the confidence that a person or an institution will spark a positive outcome in a relationship.

Why is trust important? According to the study, It’s the foundation of the social contract struck between the people and institutions meant to serve and protect them. It’s the fabric that keeps societies intact, unified, and collectively driven toward a better future. It is no surprise to me that the United States came in with weak trust scores here.

In my role as President of the Government Relations Association, and founder of a consulting firm that represents clients among these many institutions, I hear and see firsthand this frustration. Dependability and empathy are the top trust levers, followed by accountability, in the United States. And we don't score high here.

In my opinion, Americans are increasingly anxious and overwhelmed nowadays. Concerns about cost of living, job security, housing, immigration, crime, and economic development are just some of the issues that keep us constantly worried and up at night. Part of that reason is we don't have faith that solutions are coming anytime soon. 

We are supposed to be the United States of America, but are looking more like the Untied States of America instead. America is beautifully diverse but functionally apart and we are losing our greatest gift. There is too much division and not enough unity around the ideals that we were founded on as a nation. Our institutions should share much of this blame because many use this division to their respective advantage. We have too much victim/oppressor, or us against them mentality, a media that often silences diversity of thought to control a narrative, and people who are self-sorting into communities with others who share in their confirmation bias and live in the same echo chamber.    

What I like about this survey more than others is it reflects action. Trust being a key driver of behavior and involvement. When trust is high, citizens are engaged in a process to create a better future and help meet other's needs. They share their experiences, ask for help, adopt new services, and support new innovation to address societal shortcomings.   

To illustrate further. Those who know me well know that a key priority of mine for my government relations firm, Avison Strategies, and a company I just founded, CareeResilient, is to change the way we compile and report on the nation's monthly jobs report. This issue is personal for me because I know many who have fallen through cracks. The issue is professional for me because there is something we can do about it for these people but are up against a status quo of opposition. We get reports from the federal government of a 4.3% unemployment rate, then see articles at the same time in the Wall Street Journal and LinkedIn showing that professional people are unemployed on average 6 months, they get 1 interview for every 100 applications they send out, and 200 applicants are vying for one job. Many are so desperate, they now pay recruiters out of their own pocket to find them jobs. 

What is the truth? Who are we to believe? Where are we hurting? Why can't we fix it? Economists, media, and policymakers are entrenched and obtuse and balk at the thought of any policy change. I recently watched a documentary about the emerging tech industry in the 1980's and how bringing people in with fresh eyes is helpful. Someone comes in with great ideas that no one else has thought of because they are not so close to legacy thinking. We need that same energy and creativity back in America to solve all our problems. People need to feel they have their voice heard, a seat at the table, and empathy, dependability, and accountability from their institutions when they do.         

GRA recently had the pleasure of being introduced to and talking with Gary Jacobs, author of the book, The Zen Lobbyist. We are excited to be working with him in the coming months to present his findings at an event. His views tie perfectly to this message. He argues we need less of the transactional, my issue is more important than your issue, PAC-driven way of doing business, and shift to more of a compassionate approach putting people first or practicing being dependable and empathetic. Join GRA to attend this event and learn more.