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– The decline of social capital |
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The international decline of social capital
Distrust of the political and economic “elite” is growing, revealed an opinion poll carried out by the Gallup Institute from November to December among 55,000 people from sixty countries. This result reveals a sharp deterioration in humanity’s confidence in its future: the same survey published a year earlier gave the advantage to optimists (35 pc) over pessimists (30 pc). The greatest pessimists are the Greeks, Portuguese and Iraqis (36 pc). Americans and Europeans are the most worried, but morale is falling sharply in the Middle East, where 46% of those surveyed now expect a less secure world, compared to 30% last year. Trust in the political world remains low. The Austrians (76 pc), the Germans (69 pc) and the Americans (52 pc) believe that their leaders are dishonest. Economic decision-makers are doing better, with only 34% of respondents judging them this way. (Belga 01/15/2007)
Beyond the variables of optimism and pessimism which are dependent variables (subject to the effect of other causal variables), the Gallup Voice of the World poll reveals a growing distrust of populations towards leaders, particularly political. The latter’s commitment to the community is called into question in its reality and its sincerity. This is in fact hardly favorable to citizen engagement in public affairs, at least through traditional political channels. This should also challenge a political class which, despite its negative image, continues not to seek to meet the expectations and needs of the community.
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