sin hemsida innebörden och betydelsen av tillit på följande sätt och då handlar det om tillit till samhällsinstitutioner (»trust in government«): 625

»Trust can be understood as a positive perception about the actions of an individual or an organisation. This positive perception can be grounded in actual experience, but is determined to a large extent by the subjective assessment of individuals. Trust in government is both a driver of government effectiveness and economic development, and an outcome measure for government action. Trust in government leads to greater compliance with regulations and the tax system, facilitates social and political consensus, enhances the acceptance of policies that call for short-term sacrifices by citizens, and mobilises citizen engagement to enable open and inclusive governance processes. Trust in government also supports economic growth by stimulating investment and consumption. Levels of trust in government are influenced by whether citizens consider government as reliable, responsive and fair as well as capable of protecting citizens from risks and delivering public services effectively.«

Tillit är således en viktig byggsten för ett välfungerande samhälle och håller ihop samhället. 626 Holmberg-Rothstein konstaterar: 627

»Trust makes everything more reliable and safer in a society. Things run more smoothly, and efficiently, and many decisions can be taken faster because complicated legal procedures are not needed for securing contracts and cooperation.«

Tillit kan handla om såväl horisontella som vertikala relationer. De horisontella relationerna handlar om hur människor har – eller inte har – tillit till andra människor (»interpersonal trust«). Den vertikala relationen handlar om den tillit – eller brist på tillit – man som medborgare har till t.ex. politiker, myndigheter, skattesystemet m.fl., s.k. social tillit. Informationsteknologins utveckling har förändrat hur tilliten byggs upp. 628