Business is now the most trusted institution globally

Business is now the most trusted institution globally, according to the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer which shows it overtaking NGOs for the first time, while governments have squandered the trust people placed in them during the first months of the pandemic; media remains least trusted.

Headline figures

• Business is trusted by 61% of respondents (33,000 in total across 28 countries).
• People’s trust in their own employers is even higher at 76% – placing new responsibilities on them as a credible information source. 
• NGOs are trusted by 57%, government by 53% and media by 51%.
• Business is now the only institution that is seen as both competent and ethical.

A trust reckoning for governments

“The most powerful countries in the world have lost trust capital,” said Richard Edelman, CEO of the eponymous PR company, launching the report. “China is distrusted by almost everyone in the world ... The US at 40% is the lowest number we've seen.” The governments of the UK and Germany, meanwhile, scored 53% and 61% respectively. Trust levels for companies headquartered in these countries followed a similar pattern.