Wie gefährlich ist die Vertrauenskrise unserer Gesellschaft? Mit Aladin El-Mafaalani

Only 17 percent of people in East Germany believe the state is capable of fulfilling its responsibilities. In West Germany, the figure is 24 percent. Trust in state institutions, the media, science, and the legal system is dwindling. And this is happening precisely at a time when complexity and crises would actually demand more trust. But what happens when trust is lacking? Does it automatically lead to distrust, or is it more complicated than that? Aladin El-Mafaalani, Professor of Migration and Educational Sociology at TU Dortmund University, has extensively studied trust and distrust. In his book "Community of Distrust," he describes how distrustful people network via digital infrastructures, reinforce each other, and become a political force. Anne Will talks with him about what actually distinguishes trust and distrust, why distrust is a necessary immune system, and when this immune system can become an autoimmune disease. They discuss the role played by the pandemic, the financial crisis, and digitalization, why populists profit from distrust, and why young men and young women react so differently to societal uncertainties. And they ask: What would need to happen for trust to return? The editorial deadline for this episode was Friday, March 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST AD-FREE Become a member of "Politics with Anne Will" for €4.99 per month and listen to the podcast completely ad-free in the podcast app of your choice. All information at: https://will-media.de/mitglied-werden... ADVERTISING AND DISCOUNTS: https://linktr.ee/werbungannewill Would you like to advertise on our podcast? Then send an email to: [email protected] Politics with Anne Will goes on a live tour - get your tickets now: https://tix.to/politik-mit-anne-will-... May 6, 2026 Stuttgart June 17, 2026 Munich October 6, 2026 Hanover November 3, 2026 Berlin IMPORTANT SOURCES: Spiegel: Only 17 percent of East Germans still trust the state, September 3, 2025 https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/gesel... taz: Revitalize strengths! December 16, 2025 https://taz.de/Soziologe-ueber-Heimat... Tagesschau: Rhineland-Palatinate - State Election 2026, March 22, 2026 https://www.tagesschau.de/wahl/archiv... MDR: Left, right, green, blue - how divided is society?, October 16, 2025 https://www.mdr.de/wissen/psychologie... WELT: Majority of Germans are dissatisfied with the situation in the country – but not with their own September 11, 2025 https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschla... Imprint: Editor: Esther Stephan Executive Producer: Marie Schiller Producers: Lukas Hambach, Patrick Zahn Sound Design: Hannes Husten Cover Photo: Laurence Chaperon If you would like to advertise, please contact Mit Vergnügen GmbH. A Will Media GmbH Production