A platform for insight – a springboard for action
Trust Here is about operationalizing trust at the local level. It is possible to measure trust, and act on trust, in a meaningful way. By bringing leading edge social science and leading edge technology into local hands in order to operationalize social trust at the local level; we can achieve place-based measures for social trust.
We have been developing a methodology to map social trust at the local scale – to be able to see differentiated patterns of social trust across neighborhoods, to probe for insights underlying those patterns, and to identify “hotspots” that may be contributing to or undermining trust. This methodology combines both quantitative and qualitative inputs, and novel forms of social sensing.
Our platform shows us where social trust matters, why it matters, and—most importantly—how to build it. In doing so, it transforms trust from an elusive abstraction into a practical, place-based strategy for collective flourishing. That is what makes it different. That is why it matters now.
We believe in Collective Intelligence. Because everyone is smarter than anyone.
All of us at Trust Here
Beyond Surveys. Trust in the Age of Data and AI.
Traditional citizen engagement and survey tools often rely on limited, often repetitive questions. Trust Here expands the aperture. Our platform overlays local trust measurements with demographic and economic statistics, crime and health data, social participation metrics, and even digital signals from social media and geospatial information.
Artificial intelligence is employed not to replace human judgment, but to detect patterns invisible to conventional analysis. This fusion—quantitative and qualitative, human and machine—makes the insights both deeply contextual and broadly comparable. It is not only more precise; it is more legible, producing maps and visualizations that local leaders can act upon.
Our Collective Intelligence Platform embeds action into its very design. The platform is built not only to measure trust but also to identify levers for intervention.
Here lies the essential difference: most projects stop at diagnosis; our platform is designed for treatment. It does not merely generate data for academics or advocacy reports. It generates intelligence that is immediately actionable by mayors, city managers, social workers, teachers, police officers, and civic leaders.
Governments should collect better data, and more often, to track social connection, social isolation, and loneliness…
The WHO Commission on Social Connection Report
From Measurement to Movement
The Trust Here Collective Intelligence Platform shows where trust matters, why it matters, and how to build it to become a key governance metric.
Measurement Granularity
Granularity by providing insights and operational directions at the neighborhood level.
Action Orientation
Where others diagnose or advocate, our platform is designed for interventions.
Integration of Data + Human Insight
Combines AI, quantitative indicators, and frontline social sensing.
Democratic Renewal Goal
Explicitly positions trust as a governance metric, not just an academic or corporate indicator.
A springboard for local action
When social trust is strong, we can cope differently with collective crises like natural disasters. Fixing rather than fighting becomes the order of the day. We can help one another in times of need. Turning to one another rather than on one another —that’s the crucial, existential difference social trust can make.
Much of the trust literature, and many trust initiatives, focus on institutional trust: confidence in governments, parliaments, courts, or the media. While important, this frame overlooks what our founder, Ric Young, and his collaborators, argue is the more fundamental layer: trust in one another at the local level.
There are ways to take the measure of trust locally, methodologies and technologies to make that possible. That’s the platform we are developing at Trust Here. But the ultimate purpose of the platform is to be a springboard for local action.
Contact Us
We are as ambitious about addressing social trust as the world has been on addressing climate change. If you believe increasing social trust is paramount in this day and age, you have come to the right place. Get in touch with us to find out how we can work together on this big task.
