What is the Foundation of Trust?

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Religious Institutional Trust

Authority Of Religion VS Science

Level of perceived credibility between religious and scientific leaders giving the same statement.

Source: Hoogeveen et al, The Einstein Effect, Nature Human Behavior, 2022

Competing Authorities

When global individuals were presented with a religious leader and a scientist giving the same message, the vast majority of the world found the scientist more credible than the religious leader. The above study is representative of the shift from religion to science as the cultural authority.


In the Global North, religious institutions are among the least trusted.


A sharp divide is seen between the Global South and Global North regarding trust in religious institutions. In Global South regions, religious institutions are trusted above government, media, and business.

Conversely, in the Global North, religious institutions are among the least trusted. Trust in government, however, was less among regions in the Global South in these surveys. Importantly, India and China are not represented in the graphics.

Trust In Institutions

Sources: Africa: Afrobarometer 2021, East Asia: National Library of Medicine 2016 *Data does not include China, Europe: Gallup 2004, Latin America: Latinobarómetro 2017, Australia: ABC Australia Talks National Survey, United States: Gallup 2019
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