Social trust is the belief in the honesty, integrity and dependability of others – having faith in other people. Data shows that trust between Americans is currently at its lowest since 1950. Building trust in community and between neighbours can help build trust in democracy, systems, institutions and leaders. Conversely, the absence of trust can lead people not to participate in society and become isolated, further causing individual harms. In this first Lunch & Learn of the 2025 series our panel of national and local experts discussed proven practices for building trust from within a community.
We are grateful to our expert panel for joining Safe & Sound CEO Dr. Pegah Faed in this conversation:
There were several highlights as our expert panelists shared ideas and built on each other’s experiences and insights. Following are a few points from our panelists that we want to spotlight, and if you would like to hear more please check out the webinar recording.
Trust takes time
Longevity is needed to build trust. It is earned by continually showing up, keeping promises and saying what you mean. It is important to be sincere and authentic about what is possible and what you are able to deliver in order to build and maintain trust. Through investment in the relationship over time and long-term consistency, trust can be fostered.
Trust can be borne from shared interest
Necessity such as the global pandemic helped to build trust and community. We were reminded during that time how interdependent we are – and we had to come together to meet the moment and care for one another. However, this shouldn’t only happen in a crisis; we need to learn from these lessons and remember we are stronger when we work together. A shared interest in community can help to build this trust, such as a community project, a social meetup or an inspirational community leader.
Put assumptions about people and systems aside and seek understanding.
Don’t brand communities with labels such as low income, distressed or at risk – this puts up barriers to building trust. Learn from the community and be part of it to truly understand it. Understand that everyone has a gift, and find a way to help people discover and share that gift.
Center people with lived experience
To build trust within a community it is important to let that community lead the direction they want to go and not impose a program on them. People closest to the issue often have the best solutions, and someone in the center of that community will have the most trust from others around them to lead that initiative, so all programs should involve the voices of the people at the table during the planning stages. Truly understand the people you serve and support, and advocate for them when they are not in the room with you. We discussed this topic in more detail in our 2024 series – the recordings and resources can be found here.
Trust is essential to sustainable system change
We must invite people in to build out the processes, and give them the space to talk about their real experiences and situations.
Trust isn’t something that “just happens”. As our panelists discussed, it takes some structure, a lot of time and patience, and the ability to find and engage the people in your communities and groups who can weave together relationships, connections—and build trust.
We all have a role in our communities to build the trust needed to make change for children and families.
2025 Child Abuse Prevention Month Webinars from the Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP)
OCAP’s Child Abuse Prevention Month theme was “It Takes A Village.”Each webinar is focused on how we build connections and trust to strengthen our collective “village.”
TrustMap.org
Use this tool to find out the level of social trust in your neighbourhood and every other neighbourhood in the USA. Community members can lean into their neighbourhood’s strengths and use the knowledge to improve other areas.
Three Indicators of Community Trust
Understand more about the three traits that help communities build trust – which are used in the Trust Map.
Why be a Weaver
How can you build trust where you live? Start weaving connections. Weaving the social fabric is not just about caring for and serving others. It’s about forming relationships where everyone feels valued.
Six Ways to Repair Declining Social Trust
This article looks in to some statistics around the current level of trust and some concrete steps for societies to replenish trust and social cohesion.