For the first time in the 16 years of our TRUST BAROMETER research, we examined the state of trust between employers and employees and today are issuing the 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report on Employee Advocacy.

1. Employee Engagement
2016 Edelman
Trust Barometer

2. 64% Employed
Informed Public
‣ 8 years in 20+ markets
‣ Represents 15% of total global population
‣ 500 respondents in U.S. and China; 200 in all other countries
‣ 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
General Population
‣ 5 years in 25+ markets
‣ Ages 18+
‣ 1,150 respondents per country
Methodology
28-country global data margin of error: General Population +/-0.6% (N=32,200), Informed Public +/- 1.2% (N=6,200), Mass Population +/- 0.6% (26,000). Country-
specific data margin of error: General Population +/- 2.9 ( N=1,150), Informed Public +/- 6.9% (N = min 200, varies by country), China and U.S. +/- 4.4% (N=500),
Mass Population +/- 3.0 to 3.6 (N =min 740, varies by country), half sample Global General Online Population +/- 0.8 (N=16,100).
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q206. Which of the following best describes your current employment status? (net of “full-time” and “part-time” employed),
General Population, Informed Public and Mass Population, 28-country global total.
‣ 16 years of data
‣ 33,000+ respondents total
‣ All fieldwork was conducted between
October 13th and November 16th, 2015
Online Survey in 28 Countries
Mass Population
‣ All population not including Informed Public
‣ Represents 85% of total global population
2
90% Employed
59% Employed

3. Management Level
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q421: Which of the following best describes your position or level within your company or organization?
(Please select one response) General Population, 28-country global total
3
Percent of the 64% who are employed that holds each type of position
General
Population
Executives
13%
Mid-level mgt.
16%
Lower-level mgt.
17%
Non-manager
30%
Entry level
8%
Self-Employed
8%
Other/Don’t Know
7%

4. 1 State of Trust

5. 48
42
26
35
20
12
Trust Matters
5
Percent who engage in each behavior based on trust
68
59
41
38
37
18
People who distrust companies… People who trust companies…
Refuse to buy products/services
Criticized 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
Source: 2016 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? Please
answer yes or no to each action. General Population, 28-country global total, questions asked of half the sample. Q377-380. Still thinking about the past 12 months, have you taken any of
the following actions in relation to companies that you do not trust? Please answer yes or no to each action. General Population, 28-country global total, question asked of half the sample.
General
Population
most trusted
media source:#1
Online Search
Engines
most trusted
content creators:#1
Friends and
Family

6. 60
64 65
63
66
50
53 54
51
55
46
48
45
48
51
38
41
39
42
43
1 2 3 4 5
54
58 58
56
62
47
50
49 49
53
1 2 3 4 5
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q11-14. 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, 25-country global total.
6
Percent trust in the four institutions of government, business, media and NGOs, 2012 vs. 2016
53
57
53
51
56
46
49
48
46
49
NGOs
Government
Media
Business
Trust at Post-Recession Highs
Informed
Public
General
Population

7. 53
58
56 56
60
44
47
46 46
48
1 2 3 4 5
A Significant Divide
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q11-14. 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 Mass Population, 25-country global total.
GDP 5 = U.S., China, Japan, Germany, U.K.
7
Percent trust in the four institutions of
government, business, media and NGOs, 2012 to 2016 Informed
Public
Mass
Population
12pt
Gap
9pt
Gap

8. 50%
Executives vs. Employees: Trust Inequality
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q421: Which of the following best describes your position or level within your company or organization? (Please select one
response) General Population, 28-country global total.
8
Trust Index among respondents with each level of employment
General
Population
among all non-executive
level employees
51 Trust Index
among executives
64 Trust Index
non-management employees are
at the same low trust levels as the
mass population
48 Trust Index

9. The Inversion of Organizational Influence
9
Authority
& Influence
Influence
Authority
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q11-14. 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) Q421: Which of the following best describes your position or level within your company or organization? (Please select one response).
(“Employee Population” = Mid level management and below; “Upper Management” = Upper level management and above) (General Population, 28-country global
total
87%
of employed
population
51 Trust Index
13%
of employed
population
64 Trust Index
Executives
Employees
General
Population

10. 63 64
57
50
48
41
50
39
33
67
64 63
53 52
49 48
44
35
Peers, Employees More Credible than Leaders
Source: 2016 Edelman. Trust Barometer Q130-587. 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) General Population, 27-country global total.
10
Percent who rate each spokesperson as extremely/very credible
2015 2016
Technical
expert
Academic
expert
A person
like
yourself
Financial
industry
analyst
Employee CEO NGO
representative
Board of
Directors
Government
official/regulator
General
Population

11. 2 Trust in
Employers

12. 40
48 48 50 54 55
56 57 58 59 60 62 62 63 64 64 64
72 73
76 76 77 77 78 79
83 85 89
Japan
Russia
France
Sweden
Australia
S.Korea
Poland
U.K.
Italy
HongKong
Ireland
Germany
Netherlands
Spain
Turkey
Canada
U.S.
S.Africa
Singapore
Malaysia
UAE
Indonesia
Brazil
Argentina
China
India
Colombia
Mexico
50%
Significant Lack of Trust in Employers
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q525-526. Thinking about your own company and other companies in your industry, please indicate how much you trust
each 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.
12
Percent who trust the company for which they work
TrustedDistrusted Neutral
General
Population

13. 73 70 70 71
73 74 74 74 74 75 75 77 77 78 79 80
67 64 61 63 61 61
65
57
66
60
64 62
75
63
52
Averagetrust,all
full-time/part-time
employees
Manufacturing
Transportation
HealthCare
Foodand
Beverage
Automotive
Consumer
PackagedGoods
Education
Energy
Retail
Tele-
communications
Entertainment
Fashion
Technology
Professional
Services
Financial
Services
Financial Services: Least-Trusted Sector
is Most-Trusted Employer
13
Percent trust in own company within each industry by employees, and
trust in that industry sector among the general population
General
Population
General
Sector Trust
Trust in Own
Company
1313101063 31513159179 16
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q420. Which of the following industries best describes the company you work for…? Q525-526. Thinking about your own company and other
companies in your industry, please indicate how much you trust each to do what is right using a 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) Q206 Which of the following best describes your current employment status? (Net: “Employed full-time” and “Employed part-time”) General Population
among those employed (Q206), 28-country global total. Q525-526 asked of half the sample. Q45-429. 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) General
Population, 28-country global total.
28

14. Integrity
Has Ethical Business Practices 51 31 24
Takes Responsible Actions To Address An Issue Or A Crisis 54 31 23
Has Transparent And Open Business Practices 55 31 24
Engagement
Treats Employees Well 58 33 25
Listens To Customer Needs And Feedback 58 33 25
Places Customers Ahead Of Profits 55 31 24
Communicates Frequently And Honestly On The State Of Its Business 48 29 19
Products
Offers High Quality Products Or Services 58 35 23
Is An Innovator Of New Products, Services Or Ideas 41 32 9
Purpose
Works To Protect And Improve The Environment 50 30 20
Creates Programs That Positively Impact The Local Community 44 29 15
Addresses Society's Needs In Its Everyday Business 45 29 16
Partners With NGOs, Government And Third Parties To Address Societal Issues 34 24 10
Operations
Has Highly-Regarded And Widely Admired Top Leadership 39 27 12
Ranks On A Global List Of Top Companies, Such As Best To Work For Or Most Admired 36 27 9
Delivers Consistent Financial Returns To Investors 36 28 8
Employee Engagement Critical to
Building Trust Among All Stakeholders
Company Importance vs. Performance
%
Performance
%
Importance Gap
General
Population
14
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust
Barometer Q80-95 How important is
each of the following attributes to
building your TRUST in a company?
Use a 9-point scale where one means
that attribute is “not at all important to
building your trust” and nine means it
is “extremely important to building
your trust” in a company. (Top 2 Box,
Importance) Q114-129 Please rate
businesses in general on how well
you think they are performing on each
of the following attributes. Use a 9-
point scale where one means they are
"performing extremely poorly" and
nine means they are "performing
extremely well". (Top 2 Box,
Performance) General Population, 28-
country global total.

15. 3 A Roadmap for
Building Trust

16. Building Trust
Inside and Outside the Organization
16
Actions
Values
Employee
Advocacy
Engagement
Trust

17. Actions
Building Trust Through
Leadership

18. Employees Agree: CEO Focus Misplaced
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q451-461. Thinking about CEOs, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements? General Population.
[‘CEOs do too much lobbying,’ ‘Given that the average tenure of CEOs is just four years, CEOs aren’t in their role long enough to make a positive impact,’ ‘CEOs are
too focused on short-term financial results’ (Top 4 Box, Agree), ‘CEOs can be trusted to create jobs’ (Bottom 5 Box, Do Not Agree)], General Population, 28 country
global total and among those employed (Q206. Which of the following best describes your current employment status? (net of “full-time” and “part-time” employed)). 18
Percent who agree with each statement about CEOs
Focus on short-term
financial results
Lobbying
Too Much
68%
60%
Positive
long-term impact
Job creation
Not Enough
59%
47%
General
Population

19. Purpose and Profits Matter
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q496-506. How visible do you think a CEO should personally be in these different types of business situations? Please
use a 9-point scale where one means that it is “not visible at all” and nine means that it is “extremely visible”. (Top 4 Box, Visible) General Population, 28-country
global total, question asked of half the sample.
19
Percent who agree that CEOs should be personally visible in discussing…
8in10
Societal
Issues
‣ Income inequality
‣ Public policy discussions
‣ Personal views on
societal issues
7in10
Financial
Results
General
Population

20. 57%
68%
68%
68%
74%
74%
75%
81%
Sharing their view on social media
Interviews with the media
Meetings with NGOs and community organizations
Discussions with government
Participation in industry conferences
Issuing communications through their company, such as press releases,
newsletters, website updates and annual reports
Meetings with investors and analysts
Communications with employees
The Explosion in Communication Channels is Changing
Expectations For CEOs
20
Percent who agrees that each of the following activities is important in building trust in a CEO
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q507-514 Thinking about how a CEO communicates with a variety of groups and individuals, how important
are each of the following activities a CEO could engage in? Please use a 9-point scale where one means that attribute is “not at all important to building
your trust” and nine means it is “extremely important to building your trust”. (Top 4 Box, Importance) General Population, 28-country global total,
question asked of half the sample.
General
Population
Your most important
audience
Employees

21. Values
Building Trust Through
Leadership

22. Integrity
Exhibits highly ethical behaviors 50 24 26
Takes responsible actions to address an issue or crisis 53 33 20
Behaves in a way that is transparent and open 50 24 26
Engagement
Treats employees well 52 25 27
Listens to customer needs and feedback 50 25 25
Places customer ahead of profits 47 23 24
Communicates frequently and honestly on the state of their company 46 23 23
Products
Places a premium on offering high-quality products or services 48 34 14
Is focused on driving innovation and introducing new products/services/ideas 42 32 10
Purpose
Is dedicated to protecting and improving the environment 41 22 19
Ensures that the company creates programs that positively impact the local community in which it operates 42 28 14
Ensures that the company addresses society's needs in its everyday business 43 26 17
Ensures that the company partners with NGOs, government and third parties to address societal issues 33 24 9
Operations
Attracts and retains a highly regarded and widely admired top leadership team 40 29 11
Is ranked on a global list of top CEOs, such as "The Best Performing CEOs in The World" 29 25 4
Manages the company in a way that delivers consistent financial returns 41 29 12
Integrity and Employee Engagement
Key to Building Trust in Leadership
Importance vs. performance of 16 trust-building leadership attributes
%
Performance
%
Importance Gap
General
Population
22
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust
Barometer. Q462-478 How important is
each of the following attributes to
building your trust in CEOs? (Top 2
Box, Important) Q479-495 Please rate
CEOs on how well you think they are
performing on each of the following
attributes. Use a nine-point scale where
one means they are “performing
extremely poorly” and nine means they
are “performing extremely well.” CEO
questions use the same scales as the
business questions. (Top 2 Box,
Performance) General Population, 28-
country global total.

23. Desired Leadership Qualities
Characteristics that make a CEO trustworthy, percent who
selected each as one of the top five in each region
23
North America
Honest 59%
Ethical 48%
Competent 26%
Transparent 26%
Sincere 24%
Latin America
Ethical 47%
Honest 44%
Competent 36%
Visionary 34%
Innovative 33%
Europe
Honest 53%
Competent 43%
Experienced 28%
Ethical 27%
Transparent 27%
APAC
Honest 39%
Visionary 35%
Decisive 31%
Ethical 31%
Competent 26%
General
Population
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q515. Which of the following personal characteristics make a CEO trustworthy? Please select the five most important
characteristics that make a CEO trustworthy. General Population, 28-country global total, question asked of half the sample.

24. 62%
65%
70%
79%
64%
68%
73%
80%
Their education and
how it shaped them
Their personal
success story
The obstacles
they have overcome
Their personal
values
Personal Values and History Matter
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q516-524. For you to trust a CEO, how important is it that you have information on each of the following aspects of the CEO’s personal life outside of their business?
Please use a nine-point scale where one means that attribute is “not at all important to building your trust” and nine means it is “extremely important to building your trust. (Top 4 Box, Important) General Population,
28-country global total and among those employed (Q206. Which of the following best describes your current employment status? (net of “full-time” and “part-time” employed)), question asked of half the sample.
Percent who agree that each type of information
is important in building trust in a CEO, all respondents vs employed respondents
General
Population
24
All respondents
Employed
respondents

25. Employee
Advocacy
Building Trust Through
Leadership

26. 25
27
19
25
28
33
27 28
24
28
37
3132
30
48
24 25 26
21 21 22 23
20
16
19 19
14
19 18 18
8 9 8
13
10 11
Employees are Essential Advocates
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Q610 Who do you trust MOST to provide you with credible and honest information about a company's financial earnings and operational performance, and top leadership’s accomplishments?
Q611 a company’s business practices, both positive and negative, and its handling of a crisis? Q612 a company’s employee programs, benefits and working conditions, and how a company serves its customers and
prioritizes customer needs ahead of company profits? Q613 a company’s partnerships with NGOs and effort to address societal issues, including those to positively impact the local community? Q614 a company’s
innovation efforts and new product development? Q615 Who do you trust MOST to provide you with credible and honest information about a company’s stand on issues related to the industry in which it operates? General
Population, 28-country global total.
26
Most trusted spokesperson to communicate each topic
Innovation effortsFinancial earnings &
operational
performance
Business practices/
crisis handling
Treatment of
employees/customer
Partnerships/
Programs to address
societal issues
Views on
industry issues
Employees Most Trusted
General
Population
Company CEO
Senior executive
Employee
Activist consumer
Academic
Media spokesperson

27. Employees at
companies NOT
engaged in societal
issues
Employees at
companies engaged
in societal issues
Employee Advocacy Increases With
Societal Issue Engagement
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q527-529 Does your company get involved in addressing broader societal issues beyond the core business, through
programs or relationships with other companies? Q530-536. Thinking about your current company, please indicate how much you agree with each of the following
statements using a nine-point scale where one means that you “strongly disagree” and nine means that you “strongly agree”. (Top 4 Box, Agree) General
Population, 28-country global total, question was asked of half the sample. 27
Percent who agree with each statement, comparing those who work at companies
involved in addressing broader societal issues vs. those who do not
82
83
84
84
87
87
90
57
61
60
62
68
66
78
Recommend company as an employer
Stay working for the company
Confidence in the future of the company
Motivated to perform
Committed to achieving our strategy
Recommend products and services to others
Do the best possible job for the customer
Impact of
Company
Engagement
12
21
19
22
24
22
25
Level of Employee Advocacy Commitment
General
Population

28. Employees who DO
NOT trust CEOs in
general
Employees DO trust
CEOs in general
Trust in Leadership Critical
for Employee Advocacy
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer Q447 Again, thinking about company CEOs in general, please indicate how much you trust CEOs to do what is right using
a 9-point scale where one means that you “do not trust them at all” and nine means that you “trust them a great deal”.Q530-536. Thinking about your current
company, please indicate how much you agree with each of the following statements using a nine-point scale where one means that you “strongly disagree” and
nine means that you “strongly agree”. (Top 4 Box, Agree) General Population, 28-country global total, question was asked of half the sample. 28
Percent who agree with each statement, comparing those who trust CEOs in
general and those who do not
82
83
84
85
86
86
89
46
51
49
51
58
57
67
Recommend company as an employer
Stay working for the company
Confidence in the future of the company
Motivated to perform
Committed to achieving our strategy
Recommend products and services to others
Do the best possible job for the customer
Impact
of CEO
Trust
22
29
28
34
35
32
36
Level of Employee Advocacy Commitment
General
Population

29. Engagement
Building Trust Through
Leadership

30. 58
53
44
63
46
1 2 3 4 5
Transformed Media Landscape
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer 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
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 and Millennials, 25-country global total and
among those employed (Q206. Which of the following best describes your current employment status? (net of “full-time” and “part-time” employed)).
*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
Employees
even more trusting
of digital media than
general population
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Search engines* 61 58 61 62 63
Traditional media 62 59 61 57 58
Online-only media** 46 44 47 45 53
Owned media 41 40 43 43 46
Social media 44 41 44 45 44
General
Population
30
Employed
65
59
55
49
47

31. 50%
79
68
65
58
53
47 46
40
36 35
78
66
62
55
50
45 43
37
33 31
My friends
and family
An academic
expert
Companies
that I use
Employees of
a company
A company
CEO
A journalist A well-known
online
personality
Elected
officials
Celebrities Companies I
don’t use
Peer Voices More Influential
Source: 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer 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) General Population, 28-country global total and among those employed (Q206. Which of the following best
describes your current employment status? (net of “full-time” and “part-time” employed)), question asked of half the sample.
31
Percent who trust information created by each author on social networking
sites, content sharing sites and online-only information sources
General
Population
All respondentsEmployed
respondents

32. 4 Activating
Employee Trust

33. Actions
Values
Employee
Advocacy
Engagement
Activating Employee Trust
To Drive Advocacy
1. CEOs must refocus their actions. They must stand for
more than profits and short-term financial gain with
their internal and external audiences.
2. Leaders must be open and honest with employees,
exhibit highly ethical behavior, take action when
needed, and engage around their personal values and
history.
3. Building trust in leadership - and CEO trust in
particular - can raise productive outcomes such as
employer advocacy and recommendation of products
and services by 30-40 points
4. Use sharing platforms like Dynamic Signal to elevate
the employee voice and make employee storytelling
an important part of a company’s media ecosystem.
5. Programs and campaigns must be built for search and
leverage peer credibility.
Influence
TRUST
33
Leadership
TRUST

34. Thank you