It turns out Americans are having some trust issues — not just with one particular aspect, but with U.S. institutions across the board. In December, Gallup conducted a national telephone survey of 1,003 adults and found that trust concerning the majority of U.S professions remains at a historic low.

The poll took numerous professions into consideration. As Axios reported, “The average honesty and ethics ratings for 11 core professions was 30% in Monday’s report, down from 40% in 2005.” Notably, albeit not shocking given recent reports, is that TV reporters, members of Congress, and lobbyists all received “majority negative” ratings. However, other professions Americans don’t seem to trust include advertising practitioners, car salespeople, business executives, and state officeholders. Even teachers and medical workers, who have historically been viewed as some of the most ethical professions, have seen significant drops in their ratings.

The Washington Times pointed out, “Honesty and ethics ratings also dropped below pre-pandemic levels for daycare providers, pharmacists, nurses, nursing home operators, judges and clergy.” Additionally, “Trust in medical doctors, which rose from 65% in 2019 to a historic high of 77% in 2020, fell to 53% last year, the lowest rating in Gallup’s polling trend since the mid-1990s.” In fact, Axios added that “polling released last year separately showed that more people are trusting in their own ability to assess health information or turning to friends for guidance amid lack of trust in public health agencies.”

This all comes as “every age group has seen declines in religious affiliations during the past decade.” Could the fall of religion practiced in America be related to the lack of trust in its institutions? If not, what else can be said of this considerable lack of trust? To share his insight, Family Research Council’s David Closson had this to say to The Washington Stand. “Gallup’s latest survey is unsurprising to anyone who has paid attention to the downward trajectory of trust in American institutions,” he said. “This trajectory has also accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.”

According to Closson, FRC’s director of the Center for Biblical Worldview, “In the age of fake news and misinformation, most Americans simply don’t know who they can trust anymore. In my view, a major cause of the lack of trust is that trust has been abused by leaders in many industries.” For instance, Closson explained how “during the COVID-19 pandemic, the leaders at the highest level in government, medicine, and media made claims that were found later to be completely fabricated.”

Another “huge part of this equation,” he added, “is that for decades, the media has been in the control of the liberal elites who have agendas to push. Time after time, we found out that elites were lying to the American people.” But it’s not just society at large, Closson contended, “even in the church there have been reports about the sexual abuse scandals that have rocked the Roman Catholic Church and other denominations. There’s been a massive misuse of trust when it comes to influencers and leaders in major industries, and in my view, that results in a majority of Americans not knowing who they can trust anymore.”

“As Christians, we are the people of truth,” Closson underscored. “The way forward in an age of misinformation and rampant lies is to tell the truth, and to speak the truth in love. As the church takes its responsibility seriously to be purveyors of truth, the church can slowly win back the trust of not only parishioners, but the American public at large.”