Mobility, economists tell us, is important. Historically, Americans have coped with economic distress by moving to where new jobs are. Yet these days, Americans are moving less than at any time since World War II. That has slowed the economy. There are jobs; we’re just not moving to them like we once did.

The Monitor’s Simon Montlake wrote brilliantly about the reasons for this last year. But a Wall Street Journal report adds an interesting wrinkle: Perhaps, the country’s red-blue cultural divide has a part to play, too. In short, many of those looking for jobs don’t want to move to cities where people think so differently about guns or same-sex marriage. The share of Americans who agree that “most people can be trusted” has fallen from 46 percent in 1972 to 31 percent last year, the Journal notes.

There’s a lot of talk about an emerging “trust economy.” Trust that you can rent a complete stranger’s room. Trust that, because a friend gave a sandwich maker five stars, it must be good. Truth is, trust has always been essential to free economies. In that light, the most important American deficit right now might be one of trust – in one another.