2017 Edelman Trust Barometer: Executive Summary
2017 Edelman Trust Barometer: Executive Summary
Executive
Summary
Methodology
Online survey in 28 countries
17 years of data
33,000+ respondents total
25-minute survey
All fieldwork was conducted between
October 13th and November 16th, 2016
Informed Public
Nine years in 20+ markets
500 respondents in U.S. and
China; 200 in all other countries
Represents 13% of total population
Must meet four criteria:
Ages 25-64
College educated
In top 25% of household income
per age group in each country
Report significant media consumption and
engagement in business news and public policy
Mass Population
All population not including
Informed Public
Contents
02 An Implosion of Trust
04 The State of Trust
06 A Loss of Belief
in the System
08 Where Trust Is Low,
Action Intensifies
10 The Echo
Chamber Effect
12 Business Is on Notice
14 Business: The Last
Retaining Wall
An Implosion of Trust
Richard Edelman | President and CEO
55
53
53
52
48
43
42
41
Key
2016
2017
-1
-5
-1
-2
Government
Media
Business
NGOs
Trust Index:
Mass Population
Left Behind
Key
Trusters (>59)
Neutral (50-59)
Distrusters (<50)
Informed
Public
60 Global
Mass
Population
45
Global
80 India
70
India
79 China
67
Indonesia
78 Indonesia
62
China
77
UAE
59
Singapore
71
Singapore
59
UAE
68 U.S.
52
Netherlands
62 Canada
50
Colombia
62 Netherlands
50
Mexico
61
Italy
47
Brazil
61
Mexico
47
Canada
57
Malaysia
47
Italy
57
Spain
47
Malaysia
56 France
47
U.S.
56 U.K.
45
Argentina
55 Colombia
42
Hong Kong
54 Australia
41
S. Africa
54 Germany
41
Spain
53 Hong Kong
41
Turkey
51
Argentina
40
Australia
51
Brazil
39
Germany
50 S. Korea
38
France
50 Turkey
37
U.K.
49 Japan
36
S. Korea
49 S. Africa
36
Sweden
47 Sweden
35
Ireland
45 Russia
34
Japan
44 Ireland
34
Poland
43 Poland
31
Russia
A Loss of Belief
in the System
Distrust in all four institutions
has resulted in a belief by the
majority that the system is
failing them. This is a sentiment
shared by individuals across the
income and education scale,
including nearly half of those in
three groups: the top quartile of
income, the college-educated,
and the well-informed.
Stephanie Lvovich
Global Chair, Public Affairs
More Vuln
era
bl
e
ars
Fe
Los
Media
NGOs
Business
Government
Populist
Action
Economic &
Societal Fears
r
fT
Tr
u
st
so
us
in System
lief
e
B
of
85% of respondents
lack full belief in
the system.
to
La
c
ti
nI
n st
it u ti o n s
Fu r t h e r
E ro
de
Key
System Failing
Percent of respondents
with each fear who also believe
that the system is failing them
Key
Countries with multiple
fears and above-average
belief that the system
is failing
Countries without fears
but an above-average
belief that the system
is failing
Countries that are
uncertain whether
the system is failing
Countries that believe
the system is working
Number of fears
(5-0) represented
by dot size
Where
Trust Is Low,
Action Intensifies
Widespread belief that the system
is broken increases a persons
vulnerability to fear, ultimately
causing deeper distrust in
institutions. The combination of
distrust in institutions, a lack of
faith in the system, and a climate
marked by pronounced societal
and economic fears ultimately
gives rise to an increase
in populist action.
Over one in two countries no longer
believes the system is working.
Countries that combine low levels
of faith in the system with multiple
societal fears are the very places
where reactive movements against
the elite have found fertile ground.
The map at right shows the intensity
of the combination.
Fear of:
Corruption
Immigration
Globalization
Eroding Social Values
Pace of Change
UAE
China
Singapore
Hong Kong
India
Japan
Indonesia
Russia
S. Korea
Turkey
Malaysia
Argentina
Canada
Sweden
Netherlands
U.S.
Ireland
Australia
U.K.
Germany
Colombia
Brazil
Poland
Spain
Mexico
S. Africa
Italy
72 72 67 67 67 64 62 62 62 60 59 59 57 56 55 55 53 52 51 48 48 42 42 36 35 30 23 19
France
% Who Agree
System is Failing
The Echo
Chamber Effect
Fueling the cycle of anxiety and
distrust is the emergence of a media
echo chamber that elevates search
engines over editors and reinforces
personal beliefs while shutting out
opposing points of view.
Within this climate, for the first
time ever, a person like yourself
is now as credible of a source for
information about a company as
a technical or academic expert.
Meanwhile, credibility of CEOs
has dipped to an all-time low of
37 percenta 12-point decline
in a single year.
Trust in Online
Sources Rises as
Traditional Media Falls
Percent trust in each source
for general news and information
2012 - 2017:
41% Social media
-3
-3
+2
+5
-5
+3
10
6in10
53%
4x
nearly
believe search
engines over
human editors
do not regularly
listen to people
or organizations
with whom they
often disagree
nearly
45
35
Key
29
63
35
48
37
53
43
-6
-10
-12
-5
Government
official
Board of
directors
CEO
NGO
rep
46
-7
52
60
65
67
60
60
48
-4
-3
-5
-7
A person
like you
Academic
expert
Technical
expert
2016
2017
Financial
Employee
industry analyst
11
Business Is
on Notice
While trust in business remains
higher than that of government
or media, this is not to imply that
business is in the clear. On the
contrary, the 2017 Edelman Trust
Barometer findings paint a picture
of a public hungry for increased
regulation for business and
largely supportive of a number
of anti-business policies.
53%
50%
globalization is
taking us in the
wrong direction
Support for
Anti-Business Policies
Protectionism
Slower Growth
47% agree
72% agree
69% agree
We need to prioritize
the interests of our
country over those of
the rest of the world.
13
Among
the Uncertain,
Business Is the Most
Trusted Institution
System Failing
Uncertain
System Working
NGOs
51
57
52
Business
47
58
58
Media
37
50
47
Government
29
53
62
14
Key
Trust (>59)
Neutral (50-59)
Distrust (<50)
Most Trusted
How Businesses
Can Build Trust
Key
Believe system is failing
General Population
Address
societies needs
in its everyday
business
Programs
with positive impact
on local community
Profits the
company makes
here stay in
the country
Creates many
new jobs
Four trust-builders
focused on societal
change matter to more
than 50 percent of
those who believe the
system is failing
46
53
46
53
46
56
47
55
Protects
and improves
the environment
52
Communicates
frequenty
and honesty
52
60
60
Takes responsible
actions to a
ddress issues
55
Places customers
ahead of profits
55
Transparent
and open
business practices
55
Ethical
business practices
Listens to
customers
Offers high
quality
products/services
Treats
employees
well
64
65
65
56
65
56
66
58
67
59
68
62
72
15
With
the People
actingreflecting the trust-building
attributes of treating employees
well and listening to customers.
Shifts in Influence
& Authority
For the People
16
Current Tension
Toward an Integrated
Operating Model
To climb back from a position of deteriorated trust,
and to ultimately restore belief in a system that too
many people believe has failed them, institutions
must operate as a people-centric, integrated
part of the broader societal fabric.
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