Since 2019, we have witnessed a series of global changes. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are becoming increasingly important, net-zero targets are in the spotlight, and the spread of fake news and misinformation is a growing concern, coupled with the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which are undoubtedly reshaping our social and economic landscape. Against this backdrop, one might think that a crisis of confidence is already looming.
However, a closer look at these trends and events reveals that trust is not in crisis, as some have suggested. It is true that there is not much trust in certain social institutions, but this is not a new phenomenon and has been around for a long time. Trust among politicians and the media has been low, with little significant change in decades, and it has been the same for the past three years. While COVID-19 has affected the world in ways we can't fully predict, it hasn't had a fundamental impact on the level of trust people around the world place in institutions and industries.
First, we need to accept the fact that the world, the way we communicate, and the flow of news and information have changed, even if the nature of trust has not. On top of that, those in leadership roles and organizations need to recognize that trust doesn't come naturally, but must be earned through action.
To achieve this, organizations, governments, and industries need to critically evaluate whether their actions are trustworthy against the standards expected of global citizens and consumers. They should not be satisfied with simply rebuilding the level of trust of the past, but should aim to demonstrate trustworthiness in the current environment and continue to strengthen it. Only in this way can trust flourish in the context of a new era.
Let's take action together to change the status quo and increase trust in society. Here are some directions and concrete action steps we can work on together:
Direction 1: Enhance transparency and openness
Promote information disclosure: Governments, businesses, and organizations should be more proactive in disclosing relevant information, including the decision-making process, the use of funds, etc., to reduce misunderstandings and suspicions.
Establish feedback mechanisms: Encourage the public to provide input and ensure that their voices are heard and valued, thereby enhancing a sense of participation and belonging.
Direction 2: Strengthen integrity and responsibility
Promote a culture of creditworthiness: Spread the importance of creditworthiness through education, media, and community activities, and cultivate citizens' awareness of creditworthiness.
Clarify the attribution of responsibility: Clarify the responsible subjects in each area to ensure that the responsible person can be quickly identified and taken measures can be taken when problems arise.
Direction 3: Strengthen supervision and law enforcement
Improve laws and regulations: In response to the current problems in social trust, formulate and improve relevant laws and regulations to provide legal guarantees for the construction of trust.
Strict law enforcement: Crack down on violations of laws and regulations, uphold fairness and justice, and enhance public trust in the legal system.
Specific action steps:
Initiating Initiatives: Organize people from all walks of life to jointly launch initiatives to call on the whole society to pay attention to the issue of trust and work together to enhance trust.
Carry out education and education: Educate the public about the importance of trust and related knowledge through lectures, exhibitions, seminars, etc.
Establish a cooperation platform: Build a cooperation platform with the participation of the government, enterprises, social organizations and other parties to jointly study and solve the problem of trust.
Implementation evaluation and supervision: Regularly assess and monitor the trust status of all walks of life, identify problems in a timely manner and take improvement measures.
Share success stories: Collect and share successful cases and experiences in trust building for other organizations and individuals to learn from.
Through the implementation of these directions and concrete action steps, we can collectively make a positive contribution to changing the status quo and increasing trust in society. Let us go hand in hand to create a more honest, harmonious and beautiful society!
Overall, while we face a range of global challenges and changes, the crisis of confidence is not one of them. What we need is a clearer understanding of reality and more proactive action to earn and maintain trust. Because in this uncertain world, trust remains one of our most valuable assets.