Hong Kong, the world’s freest economy for 23 years running, is also one of the 10 most unequal economies on earth Unveiling this year’s Trust Barometer , which measures the level of public trust across the world in government, the media, business and non-governmental organisations, Grove’s message could not be clearer: trust in all, except NGOs, has been declining for several years, and over the past year has slumped. No wonder so many populist political leaders are having a field day.