Desiring a less contentious America? It’s merely a question of trust.

America is unraveling, cautions Robert Putnam. The root cause is an increasing absence of social connection, evident in our relationships, communities, and starkly divided politics.

The essence is that we scarcely trust one another these days, he stated. However, there are spots to begin.

The Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy, Emeritus, and creator of the impactful 1995 volume “Bowling Alone” spoke at a John F. Kennedy Forum during a March 12 dialogue with former Kennedy School Dean David Ellwood, the Isabelle and Scott Black Professor of Political Economy, Emeritus.

Putnam commenced with a review of national politics. He remarked that critics of President Trump attribute our issues to him.

“America is in severe distress,” articulated the 84-year-old political scholar. But Trump, he clarified, didn’t fabricate the chaos. “He’s an indicator.”

“The genuine peril of what is currently unfolding in America is not merely what is visible on the surface, but the fact that the foundational causes remain intact,” said Putnam. “And they will persist when Trump is long departed unless we take action.”

That, asserted Putnam, is because our isolation — our deficiency of social capital — is worsening, especially among individuals with lesser education. “What the election demonstrated is that the populace, principally the working class in America, felt isolated. That’s the reason Trump triumphed,” he remarked.

Putnam touched upon his recent book, “The Upswing,” which he co-authored with former student Shaylyn Romney Garrett. He delved into the statistics concerning what he termed “political polarization, economic disparity, social isolation, and cultural self-centeredness.”

Putnam exhibited a series of charts, each representing a rough bell-shaped curve, commencing low, ascending, and then descending. He explained that all of them spanned roughly from 1890 to 2020 in the U.S.

The initial chart illustrated “political comity or bipartisanship,” which peaked during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency, recognized as “the most bipartisan — or nonpartisan — president in our history.” While that graph maintained its high through John F. Kennedy’s term, its decline has been consistent since.

“Currently, we are likely experiencing the most politically polarized era in American history, except for a period from 1860 to 1865.” He paused to ensure the audience comprehended why he selected those years. “That’s how near we are to a civil war,” he noted.

The subsequent graph, displaying a remarkably similar curve, charted economic equality, which has reached such a low level that it resembles the Gilded Age of the 1890s. The following chart regarding social cohesion mirrored that same trend.

“Americans were significantly socially isolated at the dawn of the 20th century.” During that era of industrialization and urban growth, he noted, “Numerous individuals migrated from villages in Sicily or Iowa to the metropolis,” leaving behind their families and societal bonds. “And they had yet to establish new ones.”

But new connections would form.

“By the time we emerge from the ‘30s and into the ‘60s, Americans began to trust one another much more,” he remarked.

Reflecting on his own collegiate experience during the ‘60s, he recalled, “Most Americans had faith in each other. Seventy-five, even maybe 80 percent of Americans claimed they trusted others,” Putnam stated. “I believe the most recent figure I encountered was that only 10 percent of Americans professed to trust fellow individuals. And that number is still diminishing. We have not yet ceased declining in our perception of connection with each other.”

The foundations for these decreases stem from numerous reasons. The foremost is our definition of community — who constitutes the “we” that embodies America. “The ‘we’ we forged during the initial two-thirds of the 20th century was a diminished ‘we,’” stated Putnam. “It was not merely a white male ‘we,’ but it was skewed more towards white than nonwhite” as well as being more male than female.

“If we seek to usher in a new progressive era, it must encompass a broader conception of ‘we,’” he expressed.

We are now additionally isolated by social class, with the most significant divide being observed between the educated and uneducated. “The segments left behind comprise the part of America that lacks a college education.”

“Only one-third of America possesses a college degree,” he stated. “Calculate it yourself. We will never prevail unless we begin to bridge connections with the less-educated factions of America.”

Reframing the dilemma as not purely an economic one, but rather a moral one, Putnam referenced Hillary Clinton’s poorly worded dismissal of the “deplorables” who supported Trump.

“It’s not solely about finances. Two-thirds of American society are not simply frustrated with their inadequate income or limited prospects for improvement. They don’t feel respected — and we do not respect them,” Putnam remarked, referring to the college-educated, primarily middle or upper-class professional, corporate, and managerial elite.

What we need to accomplish is to connect, he advised. Rebuild those social networks that previously enabled Americans to engage across class and education boundaries. And while many advocate for in-person relationships, Putnam stated, “It’s a misconception to believe we must choose between face-to-face and virtual interactions. Most of our relationships are hybrids, combining both face-to-face and virtual components.”

Such connections can assist us in uniting in ways not associated with politics. He then provided a very local illustration: “I happen to be a Red Sox enthusiast,” he remarked. “If one desires to establish bonds among individuals from various areas of Boston or across different age groups or genders, unite at Fenway Park.”

“Bridging in one area often relies on bonding in another,” he pointed out.

Ultimately, he stated, “It is of utmost importance that this new initiative is driven by youth. There are cultural aspects that young individuals, regardless of class, can unite around, like memes, which can help bridge other divides.”

“I’m not presenting you with a solution,” he stated. “I’m offering a strategy for moving towards a solution.”