A new survey has revealed that three-quarters of Britons are reluctant or unwilling to place their trust in individuals whose values or cultural backgrounds differ from their own.
The Edelman Trust Barometer, an annual study examining public confidence in institutions including business, government, media and NGOs, found that 76 per cent of UK respondents expressed hesitancy about trusting those with differing values, approaches to facts, problem-solving methods or cultural heritage.
This leaves merely 24 per cent of Britons willing to extend trust across such divides.
The report concluded that "grievance has devolved into insularity" throughout developed nations, with distrust now representing "the new default instinct" in British society.
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The findings extend into the workplace, where more than one-third of British workers indicated they would prefer to resign or transfer departments rather than work under a manager holding substantially different values.
Additionally, just over a quarter of respondents admitted they would put less effort into projects overseen by supervisors with opposing beliefs.
This tendency towards insularity proves most pronounced in wealthy economies, with Japan recording the highest rate at 89 per cent, followed by Germany at 81 per cent and the UK at 76 per cent.
Researchers noted that this pattern of distrust transcends demographic boundaries, cutting across income levels, gender and age groups.
The new poll has revealed less than a quarter of Britons willing to extend trust across such divides
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The survey gathered responses from 33,900 participants residing in 28 countries worldwide.
The report identified several forces propelling this growing insularity, with record levels of economic anxiety featuring prominently.
Concerns about artificial intelligence varied significantly by income bracket, with 71 per cent of low-income Britons and 60 per cent of those on middle incomes fearing they would be left behind rather than benefit from generative AI technology.
This is compared to just 38 per cent of high earners.
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A widespread pessimism about the future also contributed
| PAA widespread pessimism about the future also contributed, with only a third of respondents believing the next generation would enjoy better circumstances than today.
Institutional trust has eroded substantially, particularly among lower-income groups.
Those on lesser incomes rated institutions 18 points less competent and 15 points less ethical than their wealthier counterparts.
The UK's income-based trust gap has widened almost tenfold since 2012, compared to merely doubling globally over the same period.
Julian Payne, chief executive of Edelman UK, warned of the implications: "This data tells a stark story and it's one we ignore in the UK at our peril.
"Not only do British respondents have profoundly lower trust in institutions, but we are withdrawing from dialogue and compromise with each other."
He described distrust as "the new default instinct", cautioning that it produces "a limited worldview, a narrowing of opinion, intellectual stasis and cultural rigidity" with inevitable social and economic consequences.
Payne called for "a new generation of trust brokers to step forward, leaders who can bring people together, show them what they have in common, and find common ground on which trust can be rebuilt."
The study found that confidence remains strongest among those in closest proximity, with chief executives trusted by 66 per cent, while fellow citizens and neighbours each scored 64 per cent.
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