Three quarters of all Germans trust their own family. However, the majority of Germans also trust their friends and partners. In contrast, there is hardly any trust in politicians, banks and statements on the Internet. This is the result of a recent study by BAT-Foundation for Future Issues, for which a representative sample of over 2,000 people aged 14 and over were surveyed in personal interviews.
„Better safe than sorry.“ - „Distrust is the mother of security.“ - „Trust is good, control is better.“ - Most Germans are familiar with these and other proverbs. The message is that if you trust, it's your own fault if you end up being disappointed. German citizens are torn in this respect. While trust in their personal environment is very high, confidence in politics, business and institutions is low. Professor Dr Ulrich Reinhardt, Scientific Director of the BAT-Foundation for Future Issues, attributes this to the focus on stability in fast-moving and uncertain times: „The population currently only seeks and finds reliable stability in the private sphere. Companies, political parties and organisations, on the other hand, are assumed to be primarily interested in their own advantage and often disappoint citizens“ expectations. Politicians and managers should therefore take greater account of the fact that trust is a social capital that is priceless for acceptance and success. They should act more openly, reliably and honestly - because only more transparency creates trust.

Men trust their partner more
The higher the education, the more trust

There are numerous interesting differences within the population:

• Gender: Women place slightly more trust in the family and the justice system and twice as often in the church. Men, on the other hand, express more trust in their partner, science and colleagues, but also twice as often in the trade unions.
• Region: The rural population trusts their partner significantly more than city dwellers do, and they also place more trust in their family and neighbours. City dwellers, on the other hand, more often cite friends and non-profit organisations as well as science and the judiciary as trustworthy. In the east, trust in neighbours, colleagues and science is greater. In addition, trust in statements on the internet is almost three times as high as in the west of the republic. In the West, on the other hand, people trust churches and non-profit organisations much more.
• Age: People under 35 place an above-average amount of trust in the internet, friends and family. In the middle age group between 35-54, partners and trade unions enjoy a trust bonus. For the over 55s, on the other hand, it is the neighbours, the church and the court system.
• Education: The greatest differences were found in the respondents' level of education. The more educated respondents are, the more trust they have in general. For example, trust in science, colleagues and politicians is around three times higher among those with a higher level of formal education than among those with a lower level of formal education. Among the latter, only trust in the church, neighbours and banks is higher.

Outlook: Those who trust, find trust

Germany is at a crossroads. Will society become more divided in the future? Will the selfishness and individualism of the individual continue and will the focus remain primarily on quarterly figures and profit maximisation as well as thinking in terms of legislative periods? Or is there an alternative to all of this and can what works so well in our immediate living environment be transferred to larger contexts?
There is no doubt that trust - especially in times of economic and financial crisis, bank and state bailouts - could be the social glue that holds a country together. The population has recognised this and is currently increasing its commitment in its immediate environment. Against the backdrop of our society becoming increasingly isolated and childless, friends, colleagues and neighbours are playing an increasingly important role alongside partners and family.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for extending trust-building to other areas of society. Instead of seeing citizens merely as consumers and customers, voters and recipients of services, representatives from politics and business should see them as partners without whom their own field of activity would neither function in the long term nor be legitimised.
But citizens also need to rethink, because a blanket negative view of political parties, companies and institutions is neither correct nor helpful. There are undoubtedly numerous possible solutions and suggestions for change: from greater citizen participation in decision-making processes and an appreciation of voluntary work, to more sustainable and long-term strategies in politics and business, to more initiative and commitment on the part of the population.