NEW YORK, Jan. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2018
Edelman Trust Barometer reveals that trust in the U.S. has suffered
the largest-ever-recorded drop in the survey's history among the
general population. Trust among the general population fell nine
points to 43, placing it in the lower quarter of the 28-country
Trust Index. Trust among the informed public in the U.S. imploded,
plunging 23 points to 45, making it now the lowest of the 28
countries surveyed, below Russia
and South Africa.
The collapse of trust in the U.S. is driven by a staggering lack
of faith in government, which fell 14 points to 33 percent among
the general population, and 30 points to 33 percent among the
informed public. The remaining institutions of business, media and
NGOs also experienced declines of 10 to 20 points. These decreases
have all but eliminated last year's 21-point trust gap between the
general population and informed public in the U.S.
"The United States is enduring
an unprecedented crisis of trust," said Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman.
"This is the first time that a massive drop in trust has not been
linked to a pressing economic issue or catastrophe like the
Fukushima nuclear disaster. In fact, it's the ultimate irony that
it's happening at a time of prosperity, with the stock market and
employment rates in the U.S. at record highs. The root cause of
this fall is the lack of objective facts and rational
discourse."
Conversely, China finds itself
atop the Trust Index for both the general population (74) and the
informed public (83). Institutions within China saw significant increases in trust led
by government, which jumped eight points to 84 percent among the
general population, and three points to 89 percent within the
informed public. Joining China at
the top of the Trust Index are India, Indonesia UAE and Singapore.
For the first time media is the least trusted institution
globally. In 22 of the 28 countries surveyed it is now distrusted.
The demise of confidence in the Fourth Estate is driven primarily
by a significant drop in trust in platforms, notably search engines
and social media. Sixty-three percent of respondents say they do
not know how to tell good journalism from rumor or falsehoods or if
a piece of news was produced by a respected media organization. The
lack of faith in media has also led to an inability to identify the
truth (59 percent), trust government leaders (56 percent) and trust
business (42 percent).
This year saw a revival of faith in experts and decline in
peers. Technical (63 percent) and academic (61 percent) experts
distanced themselves as the most credible spokesperson from "a
person like yourself," which dropped six points to an all-time low
of 54 percent.
"In a world where facts are under siege, credentialed sources
are proving more important than ever," said Stephen Kehoe, Global chair, Reputation. "There
are credibility problems for both platforms and sources. People's
trust in them is collapsing, leaving a vacuum and an opportunity
for bona fide experts to fill."
Business is now expected to be an agent of change.
The employer is the new safe house in global
governance, with 72 percent of respondents saying that they
trust their own company. And 64 percent believe a company can
take actions that both increase profits and improve economic and
social conditions in the community where it operates.
This past year saw CEO credibility rise sharply by seven points
to 44 percent after a number of high-profile business leaders
voiced their positions on the issues of the day. Nearly two-thirds
of respondents say they want CEOs to take the lead on policy change
instead of waiting for government, which now ranks significantly
below business in trust in 20 markets. This show of faith
comes with new expectations; building trust (69 percent)
is now the No. 1 job for CEOs, surpassing producing
high-quality products and services (68 percent).
"Silence is a tax on the truth," said Edelman. "Trust is only
going to be regained when the truth moves back to center stage.
Institutions must answer the public's call for providing factually
accurate, timely information and joining the public debate. Media
cannot do it alone because of political and financial constraints.
Every institution must contribute to the education of the
populace."
Other key findings from the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer
include:
- Technology (75 percent) remains the most trusted industry
sector followed by Education (70 percent), professional services
(68 percent) and transportation (67 percent). Financial services
(54 percent) was once again the least trusted sector along with
consumer packaged goods (60 percent) and automotive (62
percent).
- Companies headquartered in Canada (68 percent), Switzerland (66 percent), Sweden (65 percent) and Australia (63 percent) are most trusted. The
least trusted country brands are Mexico (32 percent), India (32 percent), Brazil (34 percent) and China (36 percent). Trust in brand U.S. (50
percent) dropped five points, the biggest decline of the countries
surveyed.
- Nearly seven in 10 respondents worry about fake news and false
information being used as a weapon.
- Exactly half of those surveyed indicate that they interact with
mainstream media less than once a week, while 25 percent said they
read no media at all because it is too upsetting. And the majority
of respondents believe that news organizations are overly focused
on attracting large audiences (66 percent), breaking news (65
percent) and politics (59 percent).
About Edelman
Edelman is a leading global communications marketing firm that
partners with many of the world's largest and emerging businesses
and organizations, helping them evolve, promote and protect their
brands and reputations. Edelman was awarded the Grand Prix Cannes
Lion for PR in 2014; six Cannes Lions in 2015; and the Grand Prix
in the Titanium category in 2016. The firm was named "2016 Global
Agency of the Year" by the Holmes Report, and one of Advertising
Age's "Agencies to Watch" in 2014. In 2015, Edelman was among
Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work" for the fourth time. Edelman owns
specialty firms Edelman Intelligence (research) and United
Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, experiential), a joint
venture with United Talent Agency.
Media Contact: Michael Bush,
212-729-2181, michael.bush@edelman.com
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SOURCE Edelman