Interpretive Summary

The article, Why are Americans so Distrustful of each other by Kevin Vallier
explores the level of social trust in the U.S. The author notes that although a democracy,
the U.S has its levels of social trust declining instead of rising. The article also explores
three main factors that explain a decline in social trust. These are ethnic segregation,
corruption, and economic inequality. While each of these factors plays a role in the
country’s declining level of social trust, none can fully explain the loss of trust. It is easy
to destroy social trust, but it is very difficult to build it. Thus, political leaders need to
intervene and stop the trend before the levels of social trust continue falling.
The topic of social trust is important as it is an important element in social unity
and cohesion. Besides, declining social trust is an indicator of other underlining problems
such as ethnic segregation and corruption. Thus, when discussed, it brings to light other
pertinent issues that should be addressed.
The author uses evidence from government agencies such as the National Index
Atlas Diversity Index, the American National Election Survey, and other sources such as
World Bank ranking and General Social Survey. Further, the author makes references to
several studies conducted on the topic. Each of these sources makes the article more
reliable as it presents a solid argument.

Surname 2
Overall, I think that people can be trusted. If, however, believes that trust must be
earned. If a person behaves in a manner that makes me doubt their credibility or
trustworthiness, then I cannot trust such as a person. However, if the behavior is good and
trustworthy, there is no reason to doubt them.