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A recent ANU study has recently published results which give an indication of just how far that level of trust has fallen.
The graph on the left shows alarmingly low levels of trust in Federal government (especially troubling given how close the next Federal poll is), in the Media, and in political parties.
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The graph to the right comes from the same ANU study. It illustrates the level of trust people have in their elected representatives, and how much they are representing their constituents interests in contrast to their own. To have elected representatives that very few people feel are representing their interests is effectively a democracy in name only.
Of greater concern is the lack of trust we have in the media. Good decisions are based on good information, and information we can trust. The media should be the key source of that information. The decisions we make at the ballot box should be well informed decisions, but in the current climate of uncertainty and low levels of trust in all the alternatives, the election result may turn out to be one no one is happy with.
The media has its problems. It is struggling financially, and is continuing to battle with its identity as opinion leader, or information provider. Bias is something we are never free of, as individuals or through the organisations we deal with. The media has always had its biases, and always will. What is important is that those biases are clear to all, that those biases are not too extreme, that people are not intentionally misled, and that opinion is not dressed up as fact. The current media climate (from the blogosphere to the mainstream media) is one that leaves the general population unsure, confused, or worse still - il-informed. We have every reason to be wary of media regulation, but at the same time we do deserve better than what we are currently getting. Something needs to change.
And finally political parties. The basis of our democracy. The sides people choose based on their beliefs and their ideology. If we can't trust them, democracy is in real trouble.
The interesting thing about the study was that a very high proportion of the population still believe that democracy is the best form of governance. And most people who suspected corruption, or had little or no faith in a particular institution... had no direct experience of actual corruption, or of the institution on which they were passing judgement.
The message of the study I believe is that people are disengaged, they are not well informed, they suspect they have been misled, their trust has been damaged, and as a result they suspect the worst.
There is a disconnect between public perceptions and the way in which public institutions operate.
It is in everyone's best interests that we open dialogues, strengthen relationships, and foster greater understanding. In saying all these things, I am reminded of the ideas in the blog posted several weeks ago by Billy Colless... it's worth revisiting.
What are your thoughts?