2. 2
Methodology
2018 Edelman
Trust Barometer
Online Survey in 28 Countries
18 years of data
33,000+ respondents total
All fieldwork was conducted between
October 28 and November 20, 2017
General Online Population
7 years in 25+ countries
Ages 18+
1,150 respondents per country
All slides show general online
population data unless otherwise noted
Mass Population
All population not including informed public
Represents 85% of total global population
Informed Public
10 years in 20+ countries
Represents 15% of total global
population
500 respondents in U.S. and China;
200 in all other countries
Must meet 4 criteria:
Ages 25-64
University educated
In top 25% of household income per
age group in each country
Report significant media consumption
and engagement in business news
3. Trust in Retrospect
3
Rising Influence
of NGOs
2001
Business Must
Partner with
Government to
Regain Trust
2009
Fall of the
Celebrity CEO
2002
Earned Media
More Credible
Than
Advertising
2003
U.S.
Companies in
Europe Suffer
Trust Discount
2004
Trust
Shifts from
“Authorities”
to Peers
2005
“A Person Like
Me” Emerges
as Credible
Spokesperson
2006
Business More
Trusted Than
Government
and Media
2007
Young
Influencers
Have More Trust
in Business
2008
Trust is Now an
Essential Line
of Business
2010
Rise of
Authority
Figures
2011
Fall of
Government
2012
Crisis of
Leadership
2013
Business
to Lead
the Debate
for Change
2014
Trust is
Essential to
Innovation
2015
Growing
Inequality
of Trust
2016
Trust in Crisis
2017
The Battle
for Truth
2018
4. 88
80
58
55
55
16
58
56
37
31
49
7
Trust Matters
Source: 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer Q371-589. Thinking back over the past 12 months, have you taken any of the following actions in relation to companies that
you trust/do not trust? (Yes Summary) Q598-609. Thinking about the information you consume, how much do you trust the information from each of the following
authors or content creators? (Top 4 Box, Trust) Q178-182. When looking for general news and information, how much would you trust each type of source for general
news and information? Please use a 9-point scale where one means that you “do not trust it at all” and nine means that you “trust it a great deal”. (Top 4 Box, Trust)
General Population, 28-country global total, question asked of half the sample. 4
Percent who engage in each behavior based on trust
Behaviors for Distrusted Companies Behaviors for Trusted Companies
Refused to buy products/services
Criticised companies
Shared negative opinions
Disagreed with others
Paid more than wanted
Sold
shares
Chose to buy products/services
Recommended them to a friend/colleague
Shared positive opinions online
Defended company
Paid more
Bought
shares
Behaviors for
Trusted Companies
Behaviors for
Distrusted Companies
6. Two of four institutions distrusted
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_INS. Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate how much you trust that institution to do
what is right using a nine-point scale, where one means that you “do not trust them at all” and nine means that you “trust them a great deal.” (Top 4 Box,
Trust) Informed Public and General Population, South Africa.
6
Percent trust in each institution, and change from 2017 to 2018, in South Africa
Institutional Trust Decreases
58 56
15
39
50
53
14
35
Business MediaNGOs Government
-8 -3 -1 -4
General
Population
20182017
Y-to-Y Change− +0
50%
Neutral
Trusted
Distrusted
7. 53
25
37 37
42
45 46 46 46 48 49 50 50 52 54 55 55 57 58 58 59 59 61 61
64 66 67 68
71
Global28
Russia
Germany
Japan
Sweden
The
Netherlands
Ireland
Italy
U.K.
Australia
U.S.
Canada
S.Africa
France
Poland
HongKong
S.Korea
Brazil
Colombia
Turkey
Malaysia
Singapore
Spain
UAE
Argentina
China
Indonesia
India
Mexico
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_INS. [NGOs IN GENERAL] Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate how much you trust that institution to
do what is right using a nine-point scale where one means that you “do not trust them at all” and nine means that you “trust them a great deal.“ (Top 4 Box, Trust) General
Population, 28-country global total.
7
Percent trust in NGOs, and change from 2017 to 2018
Trust in NGOs
Declines in 14 of 28 Countries
Distrusted in 10 countries
l llllllllllllllllllllllllllll0 +4 -2 +6 +19 -1 +3 -13 0 -4 -9 -9 -8 -2 +6 -4 -1 -3 -2 +5 +1 -2 +1 +6 0 +5 +3 -3 0
TrustNeutralDistrust
Y-to-Y Change− +0
8. 52
36 36
40 41 42 42 43 43 44 44 45 46 47 48 49 49
53 54 56 57
60 60
64
68 70
74 74
78
Global28
HongKong
S.Korea
Ireland
Russia
France
Japan
Poland
U.K.
Argentina
Germany
Australia
Turkey
Sweden
U.S.
Canada
Spain
S.Africa
Italy
Singapore
Brazil
Malaysia
The
Netherlands
Colombia
UAE
Mexico
China
India
Indonesia
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_INS. [BUSINESS IN GENERAL] Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate how much you trust that
institution to do what is right using a nine-point scale where one means that you “do not trust them at all” and nine means that you “trust them a great deal.“ (Top 4 Box,
Trust) General Population, 28-country global total.
8
Percent trust in business, and change from 2017 to 2018
Trust in Business
Increases in 14 of 28 Countries
l llllllllllllllllllllllllllll0 +2 +7 -1 +2 -8 +1 +3 -2 -1 +1 -3 +3 +1 -10 -1 +3 -3 -1 -2 -4 +4 0 0 +4 +3 +7 0 +2
Distrusted in 16 countries
TrustNeutralDistrust
Y-to-Y Change− +0
9. 43
14
18
24 25 27 28
33 33 34 35 35 36 37
41 43 44 45 46 46 46 46
51
54
65
70
73
77
84
Global28
S.Africa
Brazil
Colombia
Poland
Italy
Mexico
France
U.S.
Spain
Australia
Ireland
U.K.
Japan
Argentina
Germany
Russia
S.Korea
Canada
HongKong
Malaysia
Sweden
Turkey
The
Netherlands
Singapore
India
Indonesia
UAE
China
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_INS. [GOVERNMENT IN GENERAL] Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate how much you trust that institution
to do what is right using a nine-point scale where one means that you “do not trust them at all” and nine means that you “trust them a great deal.“ (Top 4 Box, Trust) General
Population, 28-country global total.
9
Trust in Government
Increases in 16 of 26 Countries
Percent trust in government, and change from 2017 to 2018
l llllllllllllllllllllllllllll+2 -1 -6 -8 +5 -4 +4 +8 -14 +9 -2 +3 0 0 +8 +5 0 +17 +3 +6 +9 +1 0 +3 -4 -5 +2 +2 +8
Distrusted in 21 countries
TrustNeutralDistrust
Y-to-Y Change− +0
10. 43
30 31 32 32 32 33 33 34 35 35
39 40 42 42 43 43 43 44 45 47 48 49
52
55 56
61
68
71
Global28
Turkey
Australia
Japan
Sweden
U.K.
France
Ireland
Poland
Russia
S.Africa
Argentina
S.Korea
Germany
U.S.
Brazil
Colombia
HongKong
Spain
Italy
Malaysia
Mexico
Canada
Singapore
The
Netherlands
UAE
India
Indonesia
China
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_INS. [MEDIA IN GENERAL] Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate how much you trust
that institution to do what is right using a nine-point scale where one means that you “do not trust them at all” and nine means that you “trust them a great
deal.“ (Top 4 Box, Trust) General Population, 28-country global total.
10
Percent trust in media, and change from 2017 to 2018
Media Now Least Trusted Institution
l llllllllllllllllllllllllllll0 +5 -1 0 -1 0 0 +4 +3 +4 -4 -1 0 0 -5 -5 -2 +1 0 -3 +5 +1 +4 -2 +1 +12 -5 +1 +6
TrustNeutralDistrust
Y-to-Y Change− +0
Declines in 10 countries & distrusted in 22 countries
11. Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer.
The Trust Index is an average of a country's trust in the institutions
of government, business, media and NGOs. General population,
28-country global total.
11
Average trust in institutions,
general population, 2017 vs. 2018
Trust Index
A World
of Distrust
Biggest changes in
47 Global
72 India
69 Indonesia
67 China
60 Singapore
60 UAE
53 The Netherlands
52 Mexico
52 U.S.
50 Colombia
49 Canada
48 Brazil
48 Italy
48 Malaysia
45 Argentina
44 Hong Kong
44 Spain
43 Turkey
42 Australia
42 S. Africa
41 Germany
40 France
40 U.K.
38 S. Korea
37 Sweden
36 Ireland
35 Japan
35 Poland
34 Russia
U.S. -9
China +7
S. Korea +6
UAE +6
Italy -5
Trust
(60-100)
Neutral
(50-59)
Distrust
(1-49)
Trust decline in the U.S. is
the steepest ever measured
48 Global
74 China
71 Indonesia
68 India
66 UAE
58 Singapore
54 Mexico
54 The Netherlands
53 Malaysia
49 Canada
47 Argentina
47 Colombia
47 Spain
46 Turkey
45 Hong Kong
44 Brazil
44 S. Korea
43 Italy
43 U.S.
41 Germany
41 Sweden
40 Australia
40 France
39 Poland
39 U.K.
38 Ireland
38 S. Africa
37 Japan
36 Russia
2017
General Population
2018
General Population
Global Trust Index remains at distruster level
20 of 28 countries are distrusters, up 1 from 2017
13. -37
-21
-17 -17 -13 -13 -10 -10
-3 -2 -1
3 3 5 7 7 8 9 9 10 12 13 17 19 20 23 24 27
U.S.
Italy
Brazil
S.Africa
India
Colombia
Australia
Singapore
Canada
U.K.
France
Germany
TheNetherlands
HongKong
Argentina
Japan
Mexico
Indonesia
Ireland
Russia
Spain
Turkey
Poland
Malaysia
Sweden
S.Korea
UAE
China
16 countries with
Typical Changes in Trust
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. Trust Volatility Measure. The net year-over-year (2017-2018) percentage point change across the four institutions
(TRU_INS). General population, 28-country global total. For more details on how the Trust Volatility Measure was calculated, please refer to the Technical
Appendix.
13
Aggregate percentage point change in trust in the four institutions, and change from 2017 to 2018
The Polarisation of Trust
6 countries with extreme
Trust Losses
6 countries with extreme
Trust Gains
14. Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_INS. Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate how much you trust that institution to do
what is right using a nine-point scale, where one means that you “do not trust them at all” and nine means that you “trust them a great deal.” (Top 4 Box,
Trust) Informed Public and General Population, South Africa.
14
Percent trust in each institution, and change from 2017 to 2018, in South Africa
Institutional Trust Decreases
50 53
14
35
60 59
17
45
-7 -10 +5 -4
Business MediaNGOs Government
-8 -3 -1 -4
Informed
Public
General
Population
50%
Neutral
Trusted
Distrusted
50%
Neutral
Trusted
Distrusted
16. Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. ATT_MED_AGR. Below is a list of statements. For each one, please rate how much you agree or disagree with that statement
using a nine-point scale where one means “strongly disagree” and nine means “strongly agree”. (Top 4 Box, Agree), question asked of half of the sample. General
population, South Africa.
16
Percent who worry about false
information or fake news
being used as a weapon
World Worried About Fake
News as a Weapon
in South Africa worry
about false information
or fake news being used
as a weapon
69%
55-60 61-65 66-70 71-75 76-80
France
Sweden
Netherlands
Canada
Ireland
Japan
Germany
Italy
Singapore
S. Africa
UAE
U.K.
Australia
Hong Kong
Poland
Turkey
Brazil
India
Colombia
Malaysia
S. Korea
U.S.
China
Russia
Mexico
Argentina
Spain
Indonesia
17. 17
People Define
“Media” As
Both Content
and Platforms
What did you assume was meant by
the phrase “media in general”?
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_MED. In the above
question, what did you assume was meant by the phrase “media
in general”? General population, South Africa. Social is a net of
TRU_MEDr3 and r12, Influencers is r5, Search is r7, Brands is a
net of r10 and r11, Journalists is a net of r1 and r6, News Apps is
r8.
PLATFORMS
PUBLISHERS
21%54%
SearchSocial
41%
News
Apps
29%
Influencers
90%
Journalists
45%
Brands
18. 2014 2018
Search engines* 72 59
Traditional media 63 55
Online-only
media**
51 53
Owned media 51 34
Social media 44 33
Media as an
institution
45 35
Trust in Media Continues to Plummet
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. When looking for general news and information, how much would you trust each type of source for general news
and information? Please use a nine-point scale where one means that you “do not trust it at all” and nine means that you “trust it a great deal.” (Top 4 Box,
Trust) General Population, South Africa, question asked of half the sample.
*From 2012-2015, “Online Search Engines” were included as a media type. In 2016, this was changed to “Search Engines.”
**From 2012-2015, “Hybrid Media” was included as a media type. In 2016, this was changed to “Online-Only media.”
Percent trust in each source for general news and information
18
Change,
2014 - 2018
-13
-8
+2
-17
-11
-10
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
59
55
35
33
19. Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. COM_MCL. When looking for general news and information, how much would you trust each type of source for
general news and information? Please use a nine-point scale where one means that you “do not trust it at all” and nine means that you “trust it a great deal.”
(Top 4 Box, Trust), question asked of half of the sample. General population, South Africa.
Journalism is an average of traditional media and online-only media. Platforms is an average of search engines and social media.
19
Percent trust in each source for general news
and information, 2014 to 2018, in South Africa
Trust in Platforms and
Journalism Declines
Platforms
-8
Journalism
-2
Average trust in search engines
and social media platforms
Average trust in traditional
and online-only media
57
58
60
56
54
58
61
56
54
46
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
20. 20
Consumption
How frequently do you consume news
produced by major news organisations,
either at the original source, shared by
others or pushed to you in a feed?
Nearly Half Disengaged
With the News
48%
The Disengaged
Consume news
less than weekly
24%
Consumers
Consume news
about weekly
or more
27%
Amplifiers
Consume news about
weekly or more AND
share or post content
several times a month
or more
Amplification
How often do you share or forward news
items, or post opinions or other content?
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. News Engagement
Scale, built from MED_SEG_OFT. How often do you engage in
the following activities related to news and information? Indicate
your answer using the 7-point scale below. General population,
South Africa. For details on how the News Engagement Scale was
built, please refer to the Technical Appendix.
21. Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. ATT_MED_AGR. Below is a list of statements. For each one, please rate how much you agree or disagree with
that statement using a nine-point scale where one means “strongly disagree” and nine means “strongly agree”. (Top 4 Box, Agree), question asked of half
of the sample. General population, South Africa.
21
Percent who agree that news
organisations are overly focused on …
Skeptical About
News Organisations
61%
are more concerned
with attracting a big
audience than reporting
Attracting
Large Audiences
55%
support an ideology vs.
informing the public
Politics
59%
sacrifice accuracy to be
the first to break a story
Breaking News
22. Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. ATT_MED_AGR. Below is a list of statements. For each one, please rate how much you agree or disagree with
that statement using a nine-point scale where one means “strongly disagree” and nine means “strongly agree”. (Top 4 Box, Agree), question asked of half
of the sample. General population, South Africa.
22
Percent who agree that …
Uncertainty Over
Real vs. Fake News
62%
The average person does not
know how to tell good journalism
from rumor or falsehoods
54%
It is becoming harder to tell if a
piece of news was produced by a
respected media organisation
23. Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. Trust-building mandates Analysis. The most effective trust building mandates for each institution. INS_EXP_MED. Below is
a list of potential expectations or responsibilities that a social institution might have. Thinking about the media in general, how would you characterize each using the
following three-point scale. INS_PER_MED. How well do you feel the media is currently meeting this obligation to society? Please indicate your answer using the 5-
point scale below. (Top 2 Box, Performing well), question only asked of those codes 2 or 3 at the expectation question with data displayed only among code 3.
General population, South Africa. For more details on the Trust-building mandates Analysis, please refer to the Technical Appendix.
23
Top three trust-building mandates for
media, and percent who say the media is
performing well or very well against
them, in South Africa
Media Failing
to Meet Expectations
Trust-Building Mandate Performance Score
Guard information quality 24
Educate on issues 47
Inform good life decisions 35
%
%
%
24. Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. MED_CON. What consequences are you experiencing as a direct result of the media not doing a good job fulfilling
its responsibilities? Question asked of those who answered codes 1-3 at MED_RSP. General population, South Africa.
24
Percent of respondents who feel they are experiencing these
consequences as a result of media not fulfilling its responsibilities, in South Africa
Lack of Confidence in Media Undermining Trust and Truth
I am not sure what is true
and what is not
Loss of Truth
I do not know which politicians to trust
Loss of Trust
in Government Leaders
I don't know which companies
or brands to trust
Loss of Trust
in Business
67% 64% 43%
26. 26
Government Most Broken
in South Africa
Which institution is the
most broken?
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. ATT_STE. Please indicate which institution – Government, Media, Business or NGO’s – is best described by each of the
following statements? General population, 28-country global total and South Africa.
Business
42%
Government
82%
Government
Government✓
Business Path to Better
Future in South Africa
Which institution is most likely
to lead to a better future?
Global Global
Business✓23%
%
30%
% 6%
11%
23%
45%
27. CEOs Expected to Lead
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. CEO_AGR. Thinking about CEOs, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (Top 4
Box, Agree), question asked of half of the sample. CEO_EXP. Below is a list of potential expectations that you might have for a company CEO. Thinking
about CEOs in general, whether they are global CEOs or a CEO who oversees a particular country, how would you characterize each using the following
three-point scale? (Most important responsibility, code 3), question asked of half of the sample. General population, South Africa.
27
Percent who agree and percent who say each is one of the most
important expectations they have for a CEO, in South Africa
Percent who say that CEOs
should take the lead on change
rather than waiting for
government to impose it
76
79
80
81
For CEOs, building trust is job one
77%
Business decisions reflect
company values
Their company is trusted
Their products and services
are high quality
Set high ethical standards
28. 76 75
71 71
63 63 61
56 56
44
26
Technicalexpert
Academic
expert
Financial
industryanalyst
Successful
entrepreneur
Apersonlike
yourself
CEO
Boardof
directors
Employee
NGO
representative
Journalist
Government
official/regulator
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. CRE_PPL. Below is a list of people. In general, when forming an opinion of a company, if you heard information
about a company from each person, how credible would the information be—extremely credible, very credible, somewhat credible, or not credible at all?
(Top 2 Box, Very/Extremely Credible), question asked of half of the sample. General population, South Africa.
28
Percent who rate each spokesperson as very/extremely credible,
and change from 2017 to 2018, in South Africa
Voices of Authority Regain Credibility
+5 +5 +5 -2 -7 +11 +12 +3 +4 +13 +6
− Y-to-Y Change+0
29. 44
21
27
30
33 33 34 34 34
36
38 39 39 40 40 41 42
45 45
49
52 53
55
60 60 61
63 63
75
Global
28-Country
Japan
The
Netherlands
France
Italy
S.Korea
Argentina
Germany
Poland
Canada
Sweden
Australia
Russia
HongKong
US
Ireland
UK
Singapore
Spain
Malaysia
Brazil
Turkey
Indonesia
China
UAE
Mexico
Colombia
S.Africa
India
An Uptick in CEO Credibility
SOURCE: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. Below is a list of people. In general, when forming an opinion of a company, if you heard information about a company
from each person, how credible would the information be—extremely credible, very credible, somewhat credible, or not credible at all? (Top 2 Box, Very/Extremely
Credible)
29
Percent rate CEOs as extremely/very credible, 2017 vs. 2018
CEOs only credible in two countries
50%
+4 +11 +5+3 +15+0+5+16+4+10+9+5+9+14+14+7 +13 +5 +13 +2+9 -8 +6 +11+0 +7 +5+7 +11
Increases in 27 of 28 countries
Y-to-Y Change+−
NeutralDistrust Trust
30. Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_IND. Please indicate how much you trust businesses in each of the following industries to do what is right. Again, please use
the same 9-point scale where one means that you “do not trust them at all” and nine means that you “trust them a great deal”. (Top 4 Box, Trust), industries shown to half
of the sample. General Population, South Africa.
30
Trust in each industry sector, and change from 2014 to 2018, in South Africa
Sector Trends
Trust Decreases Across Almost All Industries
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
TrustNeutralDistrust
Industry 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
5 yr.
Trend
Technology 80 80 78 79 76 -4
Automotive 71 73 65 68 61 -10
Food and beverage 66 71 67 68 60 -6
Entertainment 67 71 67 67 59 -8
Telecommunications 62 62 55 59 57 -5
Consumer packaged goods 62 65 62 65 56 -6
Health care - - 57 62 56 -
Financial Services 55 59 57 58 52 -3
Energy 53 51 42 52 54 +1
Change, 2014 to 2018− +0
31. Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. TMA_SIE_SHV. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements. (Top 4 Box,
Agree), question asked of half of the sample. CEO_AGR. Thinking about CEOs, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
(Top4 Box, Agree), question asked of half of the sample. General population, South Africa.
31
Percent who agree that …
Business Must Show
Commitment to Long-Term
53%
Companies that only
think about themselves
and their profits are
bound to fail
63%
CEOs are driven more
by greed than a desire
to make a positive
difference in the world
32. Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. Trust Volatility Measure. The net year-over-year (2017-2018) percentage point change across the four institutions
(TRU_INS). General population, 28-country global total. Trust-building mandates Analysis. The most effective trust building mandates for each institution.
Mandates not shown in rank order. INS_EXP_BUS. Below is a list of potential expectations or responsibilities that a social institution might have. Thinking
about business in general, how would you characterize each using the following three-point scale. General population, 28-country global total. For more
details on the Trust Volatility Measure and Trust Mandates Analysis, please refer to the Technical Appendix.
32
Trust-building mandates for business in countries with extreme or typical trust changes
Business Must Address Market Dynamics
Countries with
Typical Changes in Trust
Countries include Russia, Mexico, U.K., Japan
Countries with extreme
Trust Gains
Countries include China, UAE, South Korea
Countries with extreme
Trust Losses
Countries include U.S., India, Colombia, Brazil, S. Africa
Consumer Safety
Invest in Jobs
Improve Quality of Life
Innovate
Ensure Competitive Workforce
Ensure Equal Opportunity
Invest in Jobs
Safeguard Privacy
Provide for Future Generations
Drive Economic Prosperity
Consumer Safety
Guard Information Quality
Safeguard Privacy
Innovate
Drive Economic Prosperity
33. 33
Top trust-building mandates for
each institution, in South Africa
Each Institution
Must Play its Role
NGOs
Support the poor
Create a sense of community
Call out abuses of power
Business
Safeguard privacy
Invest in jobs
Innovate
Government
Drive economic prosperity
Invest in jobs
Prevent discrimination
Media
Guard information quality
Educate on issues
Inform good life decisions
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. Trust-Building Mandates Analysis. The most effective trust building mandates for each institution. INS_EXP_GOV;
INS_EXP_MED; INS_EXP_BUS; and INS_EXP_NGO. Below is a list of potential expectations or responsibilities that a social institution might have. Thinking
about [insert institution] in general, how would you characterize each using the following three-point scale. General population, South Africa. For more details
on the Trust Mandates Analysis, please refer to the Technical Appendix.
34. Re-think “media”
Leverage a cross-channel strategy
Bring back voices of authority and influence
The CEO must take action and be the leading voice
Demonstrate a long-term commitment and put purpose at the centre
1
2
3
4
5
Bringing it All Together
34
2016: Rise of populism, business scandal and “fake news”, but 2017 was more tumultuous, especially here in South Africa.
Trust explains forces, but acts as a roadmap for orgnizations.
Look at Global Trust, Fake News, Oppty for Biz
Prior to ANC Elections.
“Battle for Truth“ with many populations not believing what they’re hearing from business, NGOs or even their own government.
SA Flag.
Vote w/ Wallets and Mouth
Global stability in trust across all four institutions
South Africa dropping in all 4, last year 3 of 4
2 of 4 institutions are distrusted; 2 are on the cusp;
Business is the most trusted institution, creating a real opportunity
South Africa on the upper end (barely).
Economies in Indonesia, India and China
South Africa Trust, continues to erode to all time low
Brazil economy shrinking
Gain: South Korea & Spain
Decrease USA
One word: Fake News
Given Bell Pottinger, this could have been worse in SA
State-run media continues to be trusted (Indonesia, china)
Trust Index: Average of Business/Media/Gov’t/NGOs
Last year 3 pt. decrease, this year 1 pt. increase.
Living in a world of Distrust.
Due to issues such as populism and economic growth, we’re seeing trust diverge, creating a gap between our informed/mass pop, as well as polarization of trust.
Historically, we countries have moved in sync, with a general tendency to rise or decline as one, global population. However, for the first time we’re seeing a polarization in trust trends with an equal number moving in opposite directions.
The stable center in the middle does not mean they have not experienced change.
USA and China at extreme ends, moving in opposite directions, but SA is also experiencing a dramatic loss.
Informed vs. Gen Pop
Greatest gap in NGO and Media
Overall Trust gap increasing: 7.5
Trust in gov’t among the informed pubic actually went up.
We see that the decline in trust is actually a battle for truth.
It is a concern about whether we are getting factual information.
For the first time, we are in the search of truth. People are scared they do not know whether the information they are consuming is true or not.
So far, we have discussed a world of contrast.
Global commonality is “Fake News.”
South Africa is front and center due to Bell Pottinger.
Germany and Singapore looking at new laws and regulations to address the challenge.
The definition of “media” has changed dramatically.
We asked people to define what they mean by “media.”
South Africans consider Social, Influencers and Brands “media” much more than the global population.
Trust in Media continues it’s epic decline; all types declining
Trust in Search Engines (once a shining star) and Owned Media took a 10-point hit this year
Social media least trusted source of information
Due to a declining trust across platforms, brands must leverage all channels in order to reach audiences
Historically, journalism and platforms have been fairly close together in their trust levels.
Journalism: traditional and online media
Platforms: Social and search
This year they have started moving in dramatically different directions.
First time these two things are actually separate and distinct it he eyes of the population
Half of those that consume news are are amplifiers, meaning they not only consume news but they also share and post content among their online community.
And as you can imagine. there is skepticism about the motive of the industry.
Overly focused on click-throughs, breaking news, or supporting political beliefs
This has created a situation where we don’t know how to tell the difference between what is real and what is fake.
The media is failing to perform on its most important mandate: to be the guardian of information quality.
They’re getting a failing score
The culmination is a broken system and fundamental loss of truth.
Perhaps the most important part of the discussion this morning is how organizations can navigate the such a polarized world.
42 percent believe that government is the most broken.
South Africa is double that.
However, for business there is hope.
Half believe business can lead us to a better future.
In a distrustful world, people continue to look to business to take the lead.
60% Global
Not surprising given business is trusted 4X
The good news is that there are positive trends.
Voices of authority are regaining credibility. People want more credentialed individuals
A “person like yourself” is at an all-time low, but still among the top 5.
This is huge for South Africa
2018 we see trust in CEOs rising in nearly every market.
After a tough year, we’re seeing an 11 pt. increase in SA.
In 2017 we saw a decrease in every single market and 16-point drop in SA.
There is hope, CEOs should not bury heads in sand.
Nearly every industry declined
Energy continues to dig out of a dismal pit
Companies need to act like tech cos. 15 pt. gap b/w automotive
This is not an easy solution, will take long term view towards business
In order to be successful business must show long-term commitment in order to be successful.
So, we must consider executive visibility programming carefully, thoughtfully.
Purpose is still key
When we analyze the trust building mandates, priorities vary.
Trust Strong: , business is expected to lean in and invest in growth and jobs.
Trust Losss: protections and safeguards (including information quality and filling the void of distrust in media)
While we’ve focused on business, every institution must play a role in rebuilding trust.
All institutions have the responsibility of being guardians of information
We will never going to have trust if we cannot first agree on the truth.