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  • Publication | 2023
Food Insecurity Erodes Trust
Global Food and Nutrition Security

This study examines the relationship between food insecurity and trust using the 2014–17 waves of the Gallup World Poll and the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Trust improves public institutions, social capital, public health interventions, and economic development. Vertical trust is represented as an index of trust in national institutions, while horizontal trust is represented as a measure of trust in friends and family.

The findings show that food insecurity is associated with a decrease in both measures of trust. The study further document heterogeneous effects of food insecurity across economic development rankings. The results suggest a need for governments to increase food security to bolster public trust, strengthen the social contract, and enhance the effectiveness of development efforts.

Food insecurity may act as a multiplier for the pandemic due to its negative economic and health effects. This paper suggests that food insecurity may exacerbate the pandemic by decreasing vertical and horizontal trust, delaying recovery. In Africa and South Asia, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has worsened the already grave threat of food insecurity. It is crucial to address food insecurity not only for its immediate humanitarian benefits, but also for the deeper issues of trust, social contract, and stability that are necessary for overall development.