The phrase
"widespread mistrust" means that a lot of people have a lack of trust or confidence in something or someone.
Full definition
While the NEB's decision to ignore climate change survived a court challenge, the reputational damage to the NEB resulted in
widespread mistrust of the regulator and its recommendations.
The key problem on the EU side, apart
from widespread mistrust of China as a partner, is the inability to agree on a common economic strategy towards China.
There's also been
widespread mistrust of the twelfth grade assessment itself, particularly as to whether students take it seriously and produce reliable data.