Top Insights from the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer Report
IPAA Queensland summarises the latest insights as shared in the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer report for Australia.
A key source of intelligence regarding the state of the global community’s trust in various institutions, from government to media, the Edelman Trust Barometer is seen as a pulse check on the current state of public trust and is a vital piece of information for anyone working in public purpose work.
So, for those of us who look to Edelman for the latest in regards to trust – what insights does the latest report include?
For the most part, the figures are looking deficient for governments around Australia with trust in Government dropping from last year (see our summary of the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer here).
The recurring word throughout the report for 2023 is polarisation.
The Four Forces putting Australia on a path to polarisation…
The four forces highlighted in the current report seek to share an interesting landscape in the space of trust:
- Economics: Economic optimism is collapsing around the world, with 24 of the 28 surveyed countries seeing all-time lows in the number of people who think their families will be better off in five years.
- Business vs Government: Business is now the sole institution seen as competent and ethical; government is viewed as unethical and incompetent. Business is under pressure to step into the void left by government.
- Different Trust Realities: People in the top quartile of income live in a different trust reality than those in the bottom quartile, with 20+ point gaps in Thailand, the United States and Saudi Arabia.
- Media Landscape: A shared media environment has given way to echo chambers, making it harder to collaboratively solve problems. Media is not trusted, with especially low trust in social media.
The presence of new existential fears…
Further to the above, the 2023 report illuminates the presence of new existential fears emerging across the surveyed population.
As shown in the image above, much of the population now hold fears regarding nuclear war, climate change and food and energy shortages.
Additionally, Australia is currently sitting in a space of moderate polarisation:
With the recommendations for correcting the current state requiring society to tackle:
Unfortunately for the 2023 report, there is significant results pointing towards a general state of negativity, distrust, and polarised views. The past 12 months have seen shifts away from a positive state of trust in government towards business and employers, and a weakening of our country’s social fabric.
As shared on the final page of the review, the four key course corrects provided in the report are:
What are your thoughts on the latest Edelman Trust Barometer insights?
About the Edelman Trust Barometer
Edelman is a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. They have 6,000 people in more than 60 offices delivering communications strategies that give their clients the confidence to lead and act with certainty, earning the trust of their stakeholders.
Since their founding in 1952 by Dan Edelman, they have remained an independent, family-run company. They use their profits to strengthen their business, provide their employees with opportunities to grow, advance their industry, and serve as a responsible citizen of the world. Every day, they strive to live and work by a long-held set of core values: the pursuit of excellence, the freedom to be curious, the courage to do the right thing, and a commitment to improving society.
The 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer is their 22nd annual trust and credibility survey. The survey was powered by Edelman Data & Intelligence (DxI) and consisted of 30-minute online interviews conducted between November 1 and November 24, 2022.
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