Survey shows continued public mistrust in governments[fr][de] 

Edelman's 2006 Trust Barometer has confirmed NGOs as the single most trusted institutions in nearly every country surveyed in Europe, America and Asia, ahead of businesses, governments and the media. The results were presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 26 January.

The survey, conducted worldwide among 2,000 high income and well-educated individuals, highlights a "trust void" in institutions - business, government, media -, which Edelman says is being filled by NGOs. NGOs are now the single most trusted institution in every country except for China, the survey found.

"Trust in established institutions and figures of authority - CEOs, heads of state - is being supplanted by a personal web of trust that includes colleagues, friends and family," says Edelman. 

According to the survey, family, friends and colleagues have experienced a significant jump in credibility in Europe and the US between 2003 and 2005. Trust in "a person like you" has increased from 22% to 56% in the US and from 33% to 53% in Europe over the period. Independent experts, such as doctors and academics also rate highest.

On the media landscape, the Internet now ranks third as the first media source to turn to for trustworthy information and news, after television and newspapers (19% in the US, 13% in Europe, 21% in Brazil, 27% in China).

Other survey highlights:

• Trust in business, government and the media is lower in Europe than in any other country or region
• In Europe, governments are the least trusted in Germany (27%) and France (32%), closely followed by the UK and Spain (33%). Italians trust their governments more at 39%.
• Media score the lowest trust ratings in almost every European country surveyed: UK 22%; France 26%; Italy 31%; Germany 33%; Spain 35% 
• Germany and France are the European countries where scepticism towards business is the most widespread. Businesses are trusted by 33% of respondents in Germany and only 28% in France. In comparison, they are trusted by 45% of respondents in Spain, 51% in Italy and 53% in the UK. In France, trust in business has plummeted from 47% (2004) to 28% (2006)
• Trust by industry: Media/entertainment and energy companies are the least trusted globally. In Europe, the least trusted sectors are investment/insurance, then energy and financial services sector. Significant differences emerge within Europe (e.g: automotive is the most trusted sector in France but the least trusted in the UK)

The results of the survey were presented on 25 January to a panel of business, public affairs, political and media representatives in the European Parliament. 

According to Edelman's international vice chairman Mike Deaver, a key message to bring home is that top-down communications is losing ground to peer-to-peer communications. A good illustration of this, Deaver pointed out, is the explosion in internet weblogs relating directly to companies. He said corporations should encourage employees to speak out for their company by participating in weblogs. His advice is: "Give up control, listen, consult, have a dialogue."

"You can't buy trust by speaking at audiences through advertising. CEOs need to engage stakeholders in a very personalised way, through local media and in a direct dialogue via the Internet," said Richard Edelman, President and CEO of Edelman. 

John Bell, head of strategy and analysis at the European Commission's health and consumer protection directorate (SANCO), pointed to a "policy climate change" where people "construct their own identity" through a personal web of contacts and trusted references. This, he said, poses a challenge to governments and calls for clear strategic leadership on certain issues. "On pandemics, I doubt that people are going to trust the man next door," Bell pointed out.

Erik Jonnaert, general manager for relations with Europe at Procter & Gamble, said that, more than polls, elections is what matters most to both governments and businesses. For businesses, "the vote of the consumer is the first moment of truth," Jonnaert said. The second moment of truth, he continued, is when the consumer uses the product. "Does it live up to expectations," he asked?

Jacki Davis, a former Brussels journalist specialising in EU affairs, found the low trust ratings for media "depressing". According to her, the tendency for media to delve into the entertainment sphere has increased a "tendency to maximise the scare" with the result that neither businesses nor governments trust the media "at all" these days. 

However, Ms Davis warned against shooting the messenger. "Corporates tend to think they have a media problem, not a trust problem," she pointed out. Ms. Davis agreed with Edelman's advice to localise and personalise information. But she warned against the possible lack of consistency that this could bring to the message.