Falling trust, social isolation and a sense of lost status can make far-right politics more appealing. Rebuilding connection and democratic voice is part of the answer.

We hear a lot today about the pile-up of overlapping problems like climate change, war, financial stress and inequality.

Together they make people feel increasingly uncertain, anxious and pessimistic about the future. Meanwhile, voters’ trust in the government to solve those problems has fallen sharply.

Rising uncertainty and falling trust are connected, and together they’re weakening support for liberal democracy in many countries.

This has led to more people seemingly drawn to authoritarian ideas, ‘strong leader’ politics and far-right movements – both the political parties that run in elections and the extremist groups that operate outside them.

It is broadly understood that under the democratic system there is an ‘implicit bargain’ that governments deliver security and rising living standards, and in return, citizens support the system. Yet in Australia and elsewhere, many people now feel their governments aren’t holding up to........

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