In his speech on public trust at the annual conference of SMU’s Behavioural Science Institute, former head of the civil service Peter Ho questioned if there will be a continued high level of public trust given the change in public discourse due to the advent of social media and big data, which generate “greater contestation and scrutiny”. He felt it was important that governments have taken a more consultative and less hierarchical approach as the balance of trust had tilted away from institutions towards individuals. The conference themed “Public Trust in Singapore” was attended by 300 people from the public, private and non-profit sectors. Amongst the panellists were Dr Kanwaljit Soin, a former Nominated Member of Parliament and founding president of a non-profit that promotes active ageing for women as well as Lien Foundation chairman Laurence Lien.