From a society of distrust to a society of trust

Have we tipped over into a society of hypertrust? According to a survey carried out by the OpinionWay institute for Cevipof in early 2023 for four European countries, it would appear that mistrust has made a comeback since Covid-19. The first and foremost distrust is towards democracy: almost two-thirds of French people consider that it does not function well (10 points more than in 2022), compared with less than 40% in Germany and 58% in Italy. This is reflected in their distrust of politicians and political parties alike. The majority also distrust the justice system, big business, banks, trade unions and the media. Distrust peaks for social networks, on a par with political parties. Only small and medium-sized businesses and the army are trusted by a majority, while the local level is the most trusted. In a society of exacerbated individualization and growing perceived threats, how can we restore the conditions of trust?