I just got of a call and for the first time learnt from a friend about Robert Putman. His conclusion based on over 40 cases and 30 000 people within the United States is that, other things being equal, more diversity in a community has a correlation, to less trust both between and within ethnic groups. According to contact theory, distrust will decline as members of different ethnic groups get to know and interact with each other.

This was not very surprising, since when you interact with each other it creates an environment of sharing. In this sharing, we expose our strengths and vulnerabilities that draw us closer. The more we interact the more we realize that we are all humans with similar concerns about family, health, career and money.

We need to build Trust among communities. However hard it is to build…TRUST is what will help us rely on each other while we move into a world where more and more we interact with different ethnic groups