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Whom can you trust these days? It is a question posed by David Halpern of Cambridge University, and the researchers at the Downing Street Strategy Unit who take an interest in "social capital". In intervals they go around asking people in assorted nations the question: "Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted?"(1)____
The results are fascinated.(2)____ The conclusion that leaps from the figures and into sensational headlines are that social dislocation, religious decline, public scandals, family fragmentation and the fear of crime have made us more trusting.(3)____ Comparative surveys over 40 years suggest that British trustfulness had halved: in the 1950s 60 per cent of us answered "yes, most people can be trusted", in the 1980s 44 per cent, today only 29 per cent.(4)____(5)____ Trust levels also continue to fall in Ireland and the US-meanwhile, the Norwegians, Swedes, Danes and Dutch express tremendous confidence in one and another’s honesty: levels are actually rising.(6)____ In Mexico and Japan the level of trust is also increasing, that is interesting if mild bewildering.(7)____ And the Palme d'Or（金棕榈奖）for mutual suspect goes to the Brazilians-with less than 3 per cent replying "yes"-and the Turks with 6.5 per cent.(8)____(9)____ The French, apparently, never trusted each other and still don't. Nevertheless we become less Scandinavian and more French (or Turkish) every year.(10)____
