Massive decline in trust has an impact on economics
"The Chicago Booth/Kellogg School Financial Trust Index published yesterday shows that only 22% of Americans trust the nations financial system."
"Seven in 10 Americans believe that the country is on the wrong track; eight in 10 are dissatisfied with the way the nation is being governed. Only 23 percent have confidence in banks, and just 19 percent have confidence in big business. Less than half the population expresses a great deal of confidence in the public-school system or organized religion. We have lost our gods, says Laura Hansen, an assistant professor of sociology at Western New England University in Springfield, Mass. We lost [faith] in the media: Remember Walter Cronkite? We lost it in our culture: You cant point to a movie star who might inspire us, because we know too much about them. We lost it in politics, because we know too much about politicians lives. Weve lost that basic sense of trust and confidence in everything."
Washington Blog, "Americans Are Losing Trust In All U.S. Institutions," The Market Oracle, May 5, 2012. http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article34503.html