Declining trust in USA, as the plutocracy benefits

According to phys.org: "High-trust countries like Denmark and Sweden also have low levels of corruption—and corruption is a blocker to growth. In a high-trust environment, the costs of doing business are lower because there is less need for elaborate contracts, expensive lawyers and lots of litigation to make other people behave properly. This is, in part, why high-trust countries are richer than low-trust countries."

Criminal conduct, and unethical conduct, including deception and manipulation, can also result in business and economic growth. But the economic growth will be unequal, like in USA. With the government establishing a plutocracy and a totalitarian regime.

According to "The 2024 PwC survey found that 49% of US businesses experienced economic crime in the past two years."

Reference: https://phys.org/news/2024-12-economic-growth.html