Welcome to this episode of IT'S A PR THING, where we tackle Part II of our series on the U.S. National Trust Deficit.

In Part I, we learned the data that's defining the national trust deficit, but this week we dive into the reasons why -- straight from the public -- and how their lack of trust is impacting and reshaping American life.

And it boils down to one simple concept that appears to be missing in the public's relationship with all of these institutions.

But the road to redemption is still in sight, yet the first step on that journey requires us to understand and act.

And every organization that represents these U.S. institutions of influence can help to carry that banner.

So hit that button and let's dive into some PR learning tough love.

Today we’re starting a series on TRUST.

If you've have been following the public discussion, you know we have a trust deficit in high gear right now.

It's actually a global issue, aggravated by the public’s perception of how the pandemic was handled.

But we're going to cover the trust deficit from a U.S. perspective - and connect the dots so you can see this trust deficit is not simply due to a singular issue, or industry; or the presidential election or confined to either the public or private sector.

It's a multi-faceted issue that runs the gamut across government, business, education, the healthcare field and the news media. And every PR professional needs to be awake and aware of how this is impacting society.

The Anheuser-Busch recent marketing campaign stirred up a lot of conversation and action from consumers -- on both sides of the issue. Now company marketing executives are on "leave," consumers across the board are angry, a boycott is in progress, sales and stocks are down, and other Anheuser brands are feeling the impact as well.

All of this begs the question: Should PR pros be pushing corporate activism? Today we play the game of Survey Says to get some insights on what consumers actually think about corporate engagement in political and social issues.

Every PR pro should be in tune with this data.

Grab a pen and paper, and take some notes today as we dig in to some more PR learning love.