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The annual Edelman Trust Barometer, released in
Davos, showed a sharp decline in trust across the board with
faith in governments, business, media and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) below 50 percent in two-thirds of
countries.
The list of places where distrust among the general population
is now dominant includes the United States, Japan, Germany,
France, Britain, Italy, Russia and Turkey.
The picture is particularly stark for the 1,500 business leaders
convening for the Jan. 21-24 World Economic Forum's talkfest in
the Swiss Alps.
Not only has overall trust in business fallen, after clawing
back some ground following the 2008 financial crash, but belief
in chief executives as credible spokespeople has slumped for the
third consecutive year.
Richard Edelman, head of the U.S. public relations firm Edelman,
which commissioned the study, said the decrease in trust was
startling and was driven by the "unpredictable and unimaginable"
events of 2014.
"In reacting to these events, the world's major institutions
have looked out of synch," he said. "It's not really related to
economic performance because there's nothing catastrophic on the
economic front like there was in 2008-09."
The survey painted a mixed picture for technology, which is
playing an increasingly central role in people's lives.
A majority of respondents believe technological innovation is
happening too quickly, driven by greed among business rather
than a desire to make the world a better place.
But, in a worrying signal for "old media", online search engines
are now more trusted as a source for general news and
information than traditional media.
Across all major industries, consumers want stronger regulation
of businesses but have little confidence that policymakers will
develop and implement appropriate rules.
The survey took the opinions of 27,000 people in 27 countries
and was conducted between Oct. 13 and Nov. 24.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Dominic Evans)
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