# 2021 Report

- Interactive version: https://edelman.relayto.com/e/2021-report-juotmwpsb83d8
- Format: PDF document, 58 pages
- Published by: [Edelman](https://edelman.relayto.com/)
- Last updated: 2022-01-19
- More from this site: https://edelman.relayto.com/llms.txt

## Page 1

Global Report

## Page 2

st
21 ANNUAL
EDELMAN TRUST General Online Population Informed Public
BAROMETER 1,150 500respondents in U.S. and China;
Methodology 100respondents in Nigeria;
respondents per country 200in all other countries
Ages Represents 17% of total global population
18+ Must meet 4 criteria:
Online survey in 28 countries* All slides show general ‣ Age 25-64
33,000+ respondents online population data ‣ College-educated
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer fieldwork unless otherwise noted ‣ In top 25% of household income
conducted from October 19 to November 18, 2020 per age group in each country
‣ Report significant engagement in public
policy and business news
*The 2021 Trust Barometer 27-market global averages (for
the general population, mass population and informed Mass Population
public) do not include Nigeria
27-market global data margin of error: General population +/-0.6% All population not including
(N=31,050); informed public +/-1.3% (N=6,000); mass population +/- informed public
0.6% (N=25,050+); half-sample global general online population +/-
0.8% (N=15,525). Represents 83% of total global
Country-specific data margin of error: General population +/- 2.9% population
(N=1,150); informed public +/- 6.9% (N=min 200, varies by country),
except for China and U.S. +/- 4.4% (N=500) and Nigeria +/- 9.8%
(N=100); mass population +/-3.0% to 3.6% (N=min 736, varies by U.S. Post-Election Supplement
country), except for Nigeria +/- 2.9% (N=1,125).
U.S. Post-Election Supplement margin of error: +/- 2.5% (N=1,500). 1,500 U.S. respondents, fielded December 14 to 18, 2020
U.S. Post-Election Supplement ethnicity-specific data margin of error:
Non-Hispanic White+/- 3.3% (N=894); all others +/- 4.0 (N=607).
2

## Page 3

21 YEARS OF TRUST
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Rising Fall of the Earned Media U.S. Trust A “Person Like Business More Young People Trust in Performance Business Must
Influence of Celebrity CEO More Credible Companies in Shifts from Me” Emerges Trusted Than Have More Business and Partner With
NGOs Than Europe Suffer “Authorities” as Credible Government Trust in Plummets Transparency Government to
Advertising Trust Discount to Peers Spokesperson and Media Business Essential to Regain Trust
Trust
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Fall of Crisis of Business Trust is Growing Trust in The Battle Trust Trust: Declaring
Government Leadership to Lead Essential to Inequality Crisis for Truth at Work Competence Information
the Debate Innovation of Trust and Ethics Bankruptcy
for Change
3

## Page 4

PANDEMIC
PUTS TRUST TO THE TEST

## Page 5

SPRING TRUST BUBBLE BURSTS;
BIGGEST LOSS FOR GOVERNMENT - 0 +
Distrust Neutral Trust Change, wave to wave
Trust Index, 11 countries included in the 2020 Trust Barometer Spring Update (1-49) (50-59) (60-100)
Global 11 Government +/- Jan 2020 to +/- May 2020 to
May 2020 Jan 2021
S. Korea -17
+16 -17
UK -15
+/- May 2020 +24 -15
to Jan 2021
China -13
61 Government -8 +5 -13
-8 Mexico -12
Media -6 +12 -12
-5 -6 Canada -11
+6 NGOs -6 +20 -11
-6 India +6 -8
56 Business -3 -8
-3 U.S. -6
55 +9 -6
Government was the most Germany -5
trusted institution in May, +19 -5
then lost its lead 6 months later Japan -5 -1
-1
Saudi Arabia -1
+5 -1
Jan 2020 May 2020 Jan 2021 France +2
+13 2
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. The Trust Index is the average percent trust in NGOs, business, government and media.TRU_INS. Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate
how much you trust that institution to do what is right. 9-point scale; top 4 box, trust. General population, 11-mkt avg. 5

## Page 6

BUSINESS BECOMES ONLY TRUSTED INSTITUTION
Percent trust - 0 +
Distrust Neutral Trust Change, 2020 to 2021
Business NGOs Government Media
Business more trusted
than government in
18 of 27 countries
61
57 53
56 +2 51
pts
TRUST INDEX
Change,
2020 to 2021
+2 -1 +3 +2
l
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. The Trust Index is the average percent trust in NGOs, business, government and media.TRU_INS. Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate
how much you trust that institution to do what is right. 9-point scale; top 4 box, trust. General population, 27-mkt avg. 6

## Page 7

BUSINESS NOW ONLY
INSTITUTION SEEN AS ETHICAL 2021
BOTH COMPETENT 35 2020
ANDETHICAL
(Competence score, net ethical score)
NGOs
(-5, 16)
Business
Media (-19, -3) (14, 5)
LESS COMPETENT -50 50 COMPETENT
Government
(-34, -10)
-35
UNETHICAL
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. The ethical scores are averages of nets based on INS_PER_DIM/1-4. Question asked of half of the sample. The competence score is a net based on
TRU_3D_INS/1. Depending on the question it was either asked of the full of half the sample. General population, 24-mkt avg. Datanot collected in China, Russia and Thailand. For full details 7
regarding how this data was calculated and plotted, please see the Technical Appendix.

## Page 8

TRUST IS LOCAL:
MY EMPLOYER A MAINSTAY OF TRUST - 0 +
Percent trust in my employer Distrust Neutral Trust Change, 2020 to 2021
Global 27 Trust in my employer stable or rising in 18 of 27 countries
92 89 86
85 83 83 82 79 79 79
78 77 76 76 76 76 75 74 73 72 72
71 70 70 69 66
76% 60 58
76
My employer
My employer more
trusted than institutions
Business 61
0 -1 +2 +1 +7 +2 0 -1 +5 0 +3 +4 +1 +1 +4 0 -3 -12 0 0 -2 -6 +4 n/a -1 +3 -4 -1
NGOs 57 l l ll ll l ll
Government 53
Media 51
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_INS. [Your employer] Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate how much you trust that institution to do what is right. 9-point scale; top 4
box, trust. General population, 27-mkt avg. Question asked among those who are employed (Q43/1).
*Nigeria not included in the global average 8

## Page 9

2020 2021 YtY
General population General population Change
A TRUST 54 Global 27 56 Global 27 +2
RECKONING 82 China 77 India -2
79 India 72 China -10 Record year-over-
73 Indonesia 72 Indonesia -1 year decline in
FOR CHINA China’s Trust Index
66 Thailand 69 Saudi Arabia +8
AND THE U.S. 65 UAE 68 Singapore +6
62 Mexico 67 UAE +2
Trust Index 62 Singapore 66 Malaysia +6
61 Saudi Arabia 63 The Netherlands +6
- 0 + 60 Malaysia 61 Thailand -5
Distrust Neutral Trust Change, 2020 to 2021 57 Kenya 59 Australia +12
(1-49) (50-59) (60-100) +2
57 The Netherlands 59 Kenya
53 Canada 59 Mexico -3
53 Colombia 56 Canada +3
51 Brazil 53 Germany +7
Greatest decline in China (-10); 50 S. Korea 52 Italy +3
greatest increase in Australia (+12) 49 Argentina 51 Brazil 0
49 Italy 50 Ireland +5 U.S. Trust Index
16 countries gained trust, 47 Australia 48 Colombia -5 53
9 countries lost trust 47 U.S. 48 France +3 47 48
43
46 Germany 48 S. Africa +4
45 France 48 U.S. +1
45 Ireland 47 Argentina -2 -5
45 Spain 47 S. Korea -3
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. The Trust Index is the average 44 S. Africa 45 Spain 0
percent trust in NGOs, business, government and media. TRU_INS. 42 Japan 45 UK +3
Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate how 42 UK 40 Japan -2
much you trust that institution to do what is right. 9-point scale; top 4
box, trust. General population, 27-mkt avg. 30 Russia 31 Russia +1 9

## Page 10

2021 Edelman Trust Barometer U.S. Post-Election Supplement
TRUST CRASHES AMONG
TRUMP VOTERS POST U.S. ELECTION
- 0 +
Percent trust among Biden and Trump voters in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, Distrust Neutral Trust Change, Nov 2020 – Dec 2020
and change from November to December
Business NGOs Government Media
55 54 57
53 0 45
TRUST INDEX Biden voters +3 -1 +2 -3
l
Trust gap,
19 Biden voters vs. 0 20 15 39
Trump voters
55 Trump voters far less
-13 trusting of media
34 34 30 18
TRUST INDEX Trump voters -6 -13 -16 -15
l
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer U.S. Post-Election Supplement. The Trust Index is the average percent trust in NGOs, business, government and media.TRU_INS. Below is a list of
institutions. For each one, please indicate how much you trust that institution to do what is right. 9-point scale; top 4 box, trust. VOTE. Whom did you vote for in the 2020 United States
Presidential election? General population, U.S. among respondents that intended to vote for or did vote for Biden or Trump. 10

## Page 11

MOST POWERFUL COUNTRIES
LOSE TRUST CAPITAL Distrust Neutral Trust
(1-49) (50-59) (60-100)
Percent trust in companies headquartered in each country Percent trust in the national government
Global 22 of each foreign country
Global 27
71 69
68 68
63 65 64 61
62 61 53
58 56
54 40
51 51
48 30
37 39
35 36 34
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_NAT. Now we would like to focus on global companies headquartered in specific countries. Please indicate how much you trust global companies
headquartered in the following countries to do what is right. 9-point scale; top 4 box, trust. Question asked of half of the sample. General population, 22-mkt avg. TRU_GOV. Please indicate how
much you trust the national government of each of the following countries 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”. 9-point scale; top 4 box, trust. Question asked of half of the sample. Respondents were not asked to rate their home country. General population, 27-mkt avg. 11

## Page 12

2021 2021 Trust gap
TRUST INEQUALITY Informed public Mass population
SPREADS FURTHER 68 Global 27 52 Global 27 16 Record trust inequality
86 India 68 China 14
Trust Index 86 Saudi Arabia 68 Indonesia 15
83 Indonesia 67 India 19
82 China 67 Saudi Arabia 19
79 The Netherlands 66 Singapore 10
79 UAE 65 UAE 14
78 Malaysia 63 Malaysia 15
Distrust Neutral Trust 77 Australia 62 The Netherlands 17
(1-49) (50-59) (60-100) 76 Singapore 58 Kenya 7
DOUBLE-DIGIT TRUST
75 Thailand 56 Mexico 10 INEQUALITY IN RECORD
66 Italy 56 Thailand 19 NUMBER OF COUNTRIES
66 Mexico 55 Australia 22 Nr. of countries with
65 France 55 Canada 9 double-digit trust inequality
Mass population 16 points less trusting 65 Kenya 52 Germany 10
65 S. Africa 51 Italy 15 Global 22 21
64 Canada 49 Nigeria* 3
63 Ireland 48 Ireland 15
62 Brazil 47 Brazil 15
62 Germany 46 Colombia 13 7
62 U.S. 45 France 20
59 Colombia 44 Argentina 12
59 S. Korea 44 S. Africa 21
59 UK 44 Spain 13 2012 2021
57 Spain 44 U.S. 18
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. The Trust Index is the average 56 Argentina 43 S. Korea 16
percent trust in NGOs, business, government and media. TRU_INS. 52 Japan 43 UK 16
Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate how 52 Nigeria* 39 Japan 13
much you trust that institution to do what is right. 9-point scale; top 4 41 Russia 28 Russia 13
box, trust. Informed public and mass population, 27-mkt avg.
*Nigeria not included in the global average 12

## Page 13

PANDEMIC
FURTHER FUELS FEARS

## Page 14

PANDEMIC ADDED Percent who are concerned
TO PERSISTENT Percent who are fearful
PERSONAL AND 84
SOCIETAL FEARS 72
Percent who are concerned, 68 65
and percent who are fearful 61
53
40 35 35
32
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.POP_EMO. Some people say
they worry about many things while others say they have few Job loss Climate change Hackers and Contracting Losing my
concerns. We are interested in what you worry about. Specifically,
how much do you worry about each of the following? 9-point scale; (net) cyber-attacks COVID-19 freedoms as
top 4 box, worry; top 2 box, fear. Non-job loss attributes shown to a citizen
half of the sample. General population, 27-mkt avg. Job loss asked
of those who are an employee (Q43/1). Job loss is a net of attributes
1-3, 5, and 22-24. 14

## Page 15

PANDEMIC ACCELERATES JOB LOSS FEARS
Percent who agree
As a result of the of the pandemic, I worry that the pandemic will accelerate
a portion of our workforce has seen their the rate at which companies replace
work hours reduced or their human workers with AI and robots
jobs eliminated
A large percentage
A small percentage
54% 56%
23 31
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.LAY_OFFS. Has the organization you work for had to lay-off or furlough any employees as a result of the economic impact of the pandemic? Code 1, yes, a large
percentage; code 2, yes, a small percentage. Question asked of those who are an employee (Q43/1). Total layoff/furlough percentage is a sum of code 1 and 2. SOC_AGR. Please indicate how much
you agree or disagree with the following statements.9-point scale; top 4 box, agree. Question asked of half of the sample. General population, 27-mkt avg. 15

## Page 16

PANDEMIC DEEPENS INEQUITIES AROUND THE WORLD
Percent who agree
Those with less education, less money and fewer resources are being unfairly
burdenedwith most of the suffering, risk of illness, and need to sacrifice due to the pandemic
78
72 70 70 69 68
66 65 65 65 65 64 63 63 61
59 58 58 58 58 57 57 55 55 54 54 54
Global 27 52
62%
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.CV1_Q3. Please indicate your level of agreement with the statements below using a nine-point scale where one means “strongly disagree” and nine means “strongly
agree”. 9-point scale; top 4 box, agree. Question asked of half of the sample. General population, 27-mkt avg.
*Nigeria not included in the global average 16

## Page 17

INCREASED
URGENCY TO Change in importance More Less
ADDRESS since last year Net change Important Important
FOUNDATIONAL Improving our healthcare system +62 70 8
PROBLEMS Addressing povertyin this country +53 62 9
Change in importance since last year Improving our education system +53 62 9
(more important minus less important)
Addressing climate change +51 61 10
Finding ways to combat fake news +50 60 10
Protecting people’s individual freedoms +50 59 9
Closing the economic and social divide +48 58 10
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.IMP_POL_PRIORITIES. For each of Addressing discrimination and racism +42 53 11
the following issues and challenges, please indicate whether our
country addressing it has become more important to you, less
important to you, or has stayed the same in importance, since last year.
5-point scale; top 2 box; more important; bottom 2 box, less important.
General population, 27-mkt avg. Net change is the difference between
more and less important. 17

## Page 18

CRISIS OF LEADERSHIP

## Page 19

SOCIETAL LEADERS NOT TRUSTED
TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT
Percent trust - 0 +
Distrust Neutral Trust Change, 2020 to 2021
Trust in societal leaders declines further More likely to trust what is local 73
62 63
45 48
41 42
-2 -4 -5 -3 -7 n/a -7
l l l l l l
Government leaders Religious leaders Journalists CEOs People in my local My employer Scientists
community CEO
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_PEP. Below is a list of groups of people. For each one, please indicate how much you trust that group of people to do what is right. 9-point scale; top 4
box, trust. Attributes shown to half of the sample; “My employer CEO” only shown to those that are an employee (Q43/1). General population, 27-mkt avg. 19

## Page 20

2021 Edelman Trust Barometer U.S. Post-Election Supplement
EMPLOYER CEOS TRUSTED
BY BOTH TRUMP AND BIDEN VOTERS - 0 +
Percent trust among Biden and Trump voters in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election Distrust Neutral Trust Change, Nov 2020 –
Dec 2020
My employer CEOs Journalists Government
CEO leaders
68 63
41 45
Biden voters
+9 -7 +3 +12
Trust gap,
Biden voters vs. 7 6 42 17
Trump voters
61
35 21 28
Trump voters -2 -13 -15 -12
l l l
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer U.S. Post-Election Supplement. TRU_PEP. Below is a list of groups of people. For each one, please indicate how much you trust that group of people to do
what is right. 9-point scale; top 4 box, trust. VOTE. Whom did you vote for in the 2020 United States Presidential election? General population, U.S. among respondents that intended to vote for
or did vote for Biden or Trump. 20

## Page 21

SOCIETAL LEADERS SUSPECTED OF
LIES AND MISINFORMATION
Percent who worry
Our government leaders Business leaders
are purposely trying to mislead are purposely trying to mislead
people by saying things they know are false people by saying things they know are false
or gross exaggerations or gross exaggerations
57% 56%
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.POP_EMO. Some people say they worry about many things while others say they have few concerns. We are interested in what you worry about. Specifically,
how much do you worry about each of the following? 9-point scale; top 4 box, worry. Attributes shown to half of the sample. General population, 27-mkt avg. 21

## Page 22

SPOKESPEOPLE LOSE CREDIBILITY
Percent who rate each as very/extremely credible
as a source of information about a company
- 0 + Change, 2020 to 2021 All-time low
CEO credibility at all-time
lows in India, Brazil,
59 59 Indonesia, Argentina,
53 Russia, France and Japan
44 44 41 40
39 36
-8 -10 -7 -4 -1 -5 -14 +5 0
l l l l l l l
Academic Company A person CEO NGO Board of Regular Government Journalist
expert technical expert like yourself representative directors employee official
2021 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? 4-point scale; top 2 box, credible. Question asked of half of the sample. General
population, 27-mkt avg. 22

## Page 23

RAGING INFODEMIC
FEEDS MISTRUST

## Page 24

TRUST IN ALL INFORMATION SOURCES AT RECORD LOWS
Percent trust in each source for general news and information
Global 22
63 63 64 65 63 65
62 65 62 Trusted (60-100)
62 59 62 62 61
59 58 59 58 56 Change
2020-2021
49 53 Search engines* -6
46 48 46
45 45 44
42 45 41 Traditional media -8
42 44 44 43 41
41 42 40 40
35 Owned media -5
Social media -5
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
2021 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? 9-point scale;
top 4 box, trust. Question asked of half of the sample. General population, 22-mkt avg.
*From 2012-2015, “Online Search Engines” were included as a media type. In 2016, this was changed to “Search Engines.” 24

## Page 25

NEWS ORGANIZATIONS SEEN AS BIASED
Percent who agree
Journalists and reporters Most news organizations The media is notdoing well at being
are purposely trying to are more concerned with objective and non-partisan
mislead people by saying supporting an ideology or
things they know are false or political position than with Strongest agreement that
gross exaggerations informing the public media is not doing well in:
Japan 80
S. Korea 77
Global 27 Global 27 Global 24 Colombia 76
Argentina 75
Italy 75
Spain 73
Brazil 72
59% 59% 61%UK 69
*Nigeria 67
Mexico 66
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.POP_EMO. Some people say they worry about many things while others say they have few concerns. We are interested in what you worry about. Specifically, how
much do you worry about each of the following? 9-point scale; top 4 box, worry. Attributes shown to half of the sample. ATT_MED_AGR. Below is a list of statements. For each one, please rate how
much you agree or disagree with that statement. 9-point scale; top 4 box, agree. Question asked of half of the sample. General population, 27-mkt avg. PER_MED. How well do you feel the media is
currently doing each of the following? Please indicate your answer using the 5-point scale below. 5-point scale; bottom 3 box, not doing well. Question asked of half of the sample. General population,
24-mkt avg. Data not collected in China, Russia, and Thailand.
*Nigeria not included in the global average 25

## Page 26

EMPLOYER MEDIA MOST BELIEVABLE
Percent who believe information from each source automatically, or after seeing it twice or less
My employer National Media reports, Major Media reports, Advertising My social media
Communications from… government named source corporations anonymous
source
61 58 57
Nr. of times they need to see 52 48
the information repeated 46
before believing it: 39
Once or twice 49 45 47
If I see it here, I will 44 40 39
automatically assume it is true 33
12 13 10 8 8 7 6
I will never believe it is true 7 12 10 15 17 19 24
if this is the only place I see it
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.HEAR_TIME1. When you see a new piece of information or a news story in each of the following information sources, how many times do you needto see it or hear
it repeated in that same type of information source before you believe it is really true? Question asked of half of the sample. “Once or twice” is a sum of codes 2 and 3. General population, 27-mkt avg.
“Employer communications” only shown to those that are an employee (Q43/1). 26

## Page 27

PRIORITIES SHIFT:
MY INFORMATION Change in importance
Net change More Less
LITERACY NOW since the start of the year… Important Important
MATTERS MORE
Prioritizing my family and their needs +56 64 8
Change in importance since last year
(more important minus less important) media and
Increasing my +46 55 9
information literacy
science literacy +43 52 9
Increasing my
Being politically aware +39 51 12
Speaking out when I see the +36 47 11
need for changes and reforms
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.IMP_VALUES. For each of the
following, please indicate whether it has become more important to
you, less important to you, or has stayed the same in importance, since
last year. 5-point scale; top 2 box; more important; bottom 2 box, less
important. Question asked of half of the sample. General population,
27-mkt avg. Net change is the difference between more and less
important. 27

## Page 28

ONLY 1 IN 4 HAVE GOOD
INFORMATION HYGIENE
Percent in each segment
39
Information hygiene:
1. News engagement 35 57% of respondents
share or forward news
2. Avoid information echo items that they find to be
chambers interesting
3. Verify information Of those, only 29% have
26 good information hygiene
4. Do not amplify
unvetted information
Poor Moderate Good
information hygiene information hygiene information hygiene
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. Information Hygiene Scale. MED_SEG_OFT. How often do you engage in the following activities related to news and information?I ndicate your answer using
the 7-point scale below. 7-point scale; top 5 box, several times a month or more. General population, 27-mkt avg. For full details on how the Information Hygiene Scale was built, please refer to
the Technical Appendix. 28

## Page 29

HIGH STAKES FOR
PUBLIC HEALTH
AND THE ECONOMY

## Page 30

VACCINE HESITANCY REMAINS A MAJOR HURDLE
Percent who say they will take the COVID-19 vaccine within the next year
Global 27
75 76 80
69 69 70 71 71 72 73 74
65 65 65 66 66 66 68
58 58 59 59 62
64% 49 52 54 54
40
Willing to vaccinate…
43 45 45 48 51
31 Six months to one year 35 35 42 39 39 35 39 39
32 26 33 33 28 32 33 28
21 24 18 18 23 24
33 As soon as possible 15
Only 1 in 3 ready to take the
vaccine as soon as possible
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.VACCINE1. If and when a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available will you take it? Code 1, yes as soon as possible; code 2, yes, within a year. Question asked
of half of the sample. General population, 27-mkt avg.
*Nigeria not included in the global average 30

## Page 31

PANDEMIC FEARS
IMPEDE RETURN TO WORKPLACE
Percent who say each reason is why they are choosing to work from home vs. choosing to return to the workplace
52%choosing to work at home, 48%choosing to return to the office,
for the following reasons: for the following reasons:
COVID-19 risk 58 My employer made me feel safe 34
while commuting/in office (net)
I am more productive 26 I am more productive 42
Enhanced work-life balance 33 Healthy work-life balance 22
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.WRK_CHOICE. Which of the following best describes your current working situation? Question asked of those who are an employee (Q43/1). Data among employees that have a choice of
working from home or their workplace. WHY_HOME. Why are you choosing to continue working from home even though you could return to the workplace if you wanted to? Select all that apply. Question asked of employees
that are choosing to work from home (Q43/1 AND WRK_CHOICE/3). WHY_OFFICE. Why are you choosing to work at an office or other workplace even though you could work remotely if you wanted to? Select all that apply.
Question asked of employees that are choosing to return to their workplace (Q43/1 AND WRK_CHOICE/4). General population, 27-mkt avg. COVID-19 risk while commuting / in office is a net of WHY_HOME/2-3. 31

## Page 32

POOR INFORMATION HYGIENE
THREATENS PANDEMIC RECOVERY
Percent who say they will take the COVID-19 vaccine within a year
Those with good Those with poor 16 countrieswith double-digit gaps
information hygiene information hygiene
88
80 78 77 78
70 69 72 72 70 72 73
65 62 63 63 65 67 67
59 59 56 57 59 56 61 57
52 55 50
48 46 49
42
Gap,
willingness
11pts to vaccinate
within a year 21 17 17 16 16 16 15 15 15 14 14 14 12 11 11 10
Global 27
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.VACCINE1. If and when a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available will you take it? Code 1, yes as soon as possible; code 2, yes, within a year. Question asked
of half of the sample. CV1_Q3. Please indicate your level of agreement with the statements below using a nine-point scale where one means “strongly disagree” and nine means “strongly agree”.
9-point scale; top 4 box, agree. Question asked of half of the sample. General population, 27-mkt avg, by hygiene level. For full details on how the Information Hygiene Scale was built, please
refer to the Technical Appendix. 32

## Page 33

A NEW MANDATE
FOR BUSINESS

## Page 34

BUSINESS EXPECTED TO FILL VOID
LEFT BY GOVERNMENT
Percent who agree
CEOs should step in CEOs should take the lead CEOs should hold
when the government does not fix on change rather than waiting themselves accountable to
societal problems for government to impose change the public and not just to the
on them board of directors or stockholders
68% 66% 65%
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. 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? 3-point scale, sumof codes 2 and 3. Question asked of half of the sample. CEO_AGR.
Thinking about CEOs, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement? 9-point scale; top 4 box, trust. Question asked of half of the sample. General population, 27-mkt avg. 34

## Page 35

CEOS MUST LEAD ON SOCIETAL ISSUES
I expect CEOs to publicly speak out about one or more of these societal challenges
Pandemic impact 59
Job automation 51
86% Societal issues 43
Local community issues 40
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.CEO_SPEAK. Looking at the topics listed below, please select the ones you expect CEOs to currently be speaking out about publicly.Select all that apply. Question
asked of half of the sample. General population, 27-mkt avg. CEO expectation to speak out is a net of attributes 1, 2, 5 and 7. 35

## Page 36

BUSINESS GAINS THE MOST TRUST BY
BEING A GUARDIAN OF INFORMATION QUALITY
Percent increased likelihood of trusting business associated with performing well on each action
When these actions are performed well… Increased likelihood of trust
Guarding information quality +5.8%
Embracing sustainable practices +5.7%
Robust COVID-19 health and safety response +4.8%
Driving economic prosperity +4.7%
Long-term thinking over short-term profits +4.6%
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. Discrete choice analysis; results shown are marginal effects on likelihood to trust. PER_BUS. How well do you feel business is currently doing each of the
following? 5-point scale; top 2 box, doing well. Question asked of half of the sample. TRU_INS. Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate how much you trust that institution to do
what is right. 9-point scale; top 4 box, trust. General population, 27-mkt avg. For a full explanation of how this data was calculated, please see the Technical Appendix. 36

## Page 37

EMPLOYEE
EXPECTATIONS
SHIFT: SAFETY
AND UPSKILLING Change in importance
as an employer attribute Net change More Less
Important Important
MATTER MORE since the start of the year…
Change in importance since last year Keep workers, customers safe +49 59 10
(more important minus less important)
Job skills training programs +44 54 10
Regular employee communications +44 54 10
Diverse, representative workforce +39 50 11
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.EMP_IMP_VAL. When considering
an organization as a potential place of employment, please indicate
whether each of the following has become more important to you, less
important to you, or has stayed the same in importance since last year.
5-point scale; top 2 box; more important; bottom 2 box, less important.
Question asked of those who are an employee (Q43/1). General
population, 27-mkt avg. Net change is the difference between more
and less important. 37

## Page 38

CONSUMERS AND EMPLOYEES
EXPECTED TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE
Percent who agree
68% 62% of those who
50%are employed
Consumers … Employees …
I am more likely now than a year
have the power to force ago to voice my objections to
corporations to change management or engage in
workplace protest
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. TMA_SIE_SHV. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements. 9-point scale; top 4 box, agree. Question asked of half of the
sample. EMP_ENG. Thinking about your current employer, to what extent do you agree with the following statements? 9-point scale; top 4 box, agree. Question asked of those who are an
employee (Q43/1). General population, 27-mkt avg. 38

## Page 39

EMERGING FROM INFORMATION BANKRUPTCY
1 2 3 4
Business: Embrace Lead with facts, Provide Don’t go it alone
expanded mandate act with empathy trustworthy content
CEOs must lead on issues Societal leaders must have the All institutions must provide Business, government, NGOs
from sustainability and courage to provide straight truthful, unbiased, reliable and others must find a
systemic racism to upskilling. talk, but also empathize and information. common purpose and take
Act first, talk after. collective action to solve
address people’s fears. societal problems.
39

## Page 40

Freedomis the freedom to say
that two plus two make four. If
that is granted, all else follows.
—George Orwell
40

## Page 41

SUPPLEMENTAL
DATA

## Page 42

TRUST IN BUSINESS
INCREASES IN 17 OF 27 COUNTRIES
Percent trust - 0 +
Distrust Neutral Trust Change, 2020 to 2021
Trusted in 16 countries
78 82
68 69 69 70 71 73
62 63 63 65 67 67
61 56 56 59 61 61
50 51 52 54 54 55
46 47
34
+2 -1 -3 +2 +3 +1 +2 +6 +4 +7 +4 +3 +2 -3 +3 n/a +11 -3 +7 -6 -1 +4 +6 +7 -12 -1 +8 -1 0
2021 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. 9-point scale;
top 4 box, trust. General population, 27-mkt avg.
*Nigeria not included in the global average 42

## Page 43

TRUST IN NGOS
DECREASES IN 11 OF 27 COUNTRIES
Percent trust - 0 +
Distrust Neutral Trust Change, 2020 to 2021
Trusted in 13 countries
74 78
65 65 65 67 68 69 70
59 60 61 62 64
57 51 51 52 53 55 55 56 56
46 48 49 50
40
25
-1 0 0 +3 -1 +1 0 -8 -6 -6 +3 0 +1 -3 -9 -10 +1 +7 +8 -2 -9 n/a +1 -6 0 +4 +6 +2 -2
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_INS. [NGOs in general] Below is a list of institutions. For each one, please indicate how much you trust that institutiontodo what is right. 9-point scale; top
4 box, trust. General population, 27-mkt avg.
*Nigeria not included in the global average 43

## Page 44

TRUST IN GOVERNMENT
INCREASES IN 18 OF 27 COUNTRIES
Percent trust - 0 +
Distrust Neutral Trust Change, 2020 to 2021
Distrusted in 13 countries
79 80 82 82
76
65 69 70
59 59 61
53 48 50 50 51 51
42 44 45
34 34 37 38 39
30 33
24 27
+3 n/a +7 -4 0 +1 +4 -6 +4 +2 +3 0 +9 +7 +15 -1 +10 -9 +9 +14 +17 +7 +10 -5 +6 -2 +4 -8 +4
2021 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. 9-point
scale; top 4 box, trust. General population, 27-mkt avg.
*Nigeria not included in the global average 44

## Page 45

TRUST IN MEDIA INCREASES
IN 15 OF 27 COUNTRIES
Percent trust - 0 +
Distrust Neutral Trust Change, 2020 to 2021
Distrusted in 13 countries
69 70 72
60 61 61 62 62
51 51 52 53 54 55 56
45 48 50
39 40 42 42 42 42 44
36 37 37
29
+2 +1 -1 0 +2 -9 -3 0 +5 +2 0 n/a -3 +4 +1 +12 +3 -6 +1 -1 +3 +14 -3 +3 +9 +7 -4 -10 +3
2021 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. 9-point scale; top
4 box, trust. General population, 27-mkt avg.
*Nigeria not included in the global average 45

## Page 46

TRUST DECLINES ACROSS SECTORS
Percent trust in each sector
- 0 +
Distrust Neutral Trust Change, 2020 to 2021
66 66 66 66 70
60 60 61 62 62 62 63 64
53 58
46
n/a -5 -6 -3 -3 -5 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -3 -2 -1 -4 -6
lllllllllllllll
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_IND. Please indicate how much you trust businesses in each of the following industries to do what is right. 9-point scale; top 4 box, trust. Industries shown
to half of the sample. General population, 27-mkt avg. 46

## Page 47

INDUSTRY SECTORS OVER TIME
Percent trust in each sector - 0 +
Distrust Neutral Trust Change, 2012 to 2021
10yr.
Industry 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Trend
Technology 77 74 77 74 76 76 75 78 75 68 -9
Healthcare - - - - 64 67 65 68 67 66 n/a
Food and beverage 64 64 65 64 65 68 64 69 67 65 +1
Telecommunications 59 61 62 60 61 64 64 67 65 61 +2
Automotive 63 66 70 67 62 66 63 69 67 60 -3
Consumer packaged goods 58 61 62 61 62 64 61 65 62 60 +2
Energy 54 58 57 57 59 62 63 65 63 59 +5
Entertainment - 63 66 64 66 65 63 68 65 59 n/a
Financial services 44 47 49 48 52 55 55 57 56 52 +8
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_IND. Please indicate how much you trust businesses in each of the following industries to do what is right. 9-point scale; top 4 box, trust. Industries shown
to half of the sample. General population, 22-mkt avg. 47

## Page 48

TRUST DECLINES IN 13 OF 16 COUNTRY BRANDS
Trust in companies headquartered in each country
- 0 +
Distrust Neutral Trust Change, 2020 to 2021
All-time low
62 66 66 66
56 59 59 60
49 51 51 53
36 36 37 37
-4 +2 -2 -3 +1 -3 -4 0 -3 -5 -5 -8 -2 -3 -4 -3
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. TRU_NAT. Now we would like to focus on global companies headquartered in specific countries. Please indicate how much you trust global companies
headquartered in the following countries to do what is right. 9-point scale; top 4 box, trust. Question asked of half of the sample. General population, 27-mkt avg. 48

## Page 49

SPOKESPEOPLE LOSE CREDIBILITY
Percent who rate each as very/extremely credible
as a source of information about a company
Global 22
66 65 65 64 65
63 61 62
59 60 59
58 56 62 59
60 60 57 Academic expert
49 53 53 A person like yourself
43 44 43 45 45
42 40 CEOs
37 39 40
35 36 35 38 Government official
32 34 33
30 30 35 35 34 35 Journalist
32
28
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
2021 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? 4-point scale; top 2 box, credible. Question asked of half of the sample. General
population, 22-mkt avg. 49

## Page 50

TECHNICAL
APPENDIX

## Page 51

2021 EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER
SAMPLE SIZE, QUOTAS AND MARGIN OF ERROR
General Population Informed Public
Sample Size* Quotas Set On** Margin of Error Sample Size* Quotas Set On*** Margin of Error
Global 31,050 Age, Gender, Region +/- 0.6% total sample 6,000 Age, Education, +/- 1.3% total sample
+/- 0.8% half sample Gender +/- 1.8% half sample
China and 1,150 Age, Gender, Region +/- 2.9% total sample 500 Age, Education, +/- 4.4% total sample
U.S. +/- 4.1% half sample Gender +/- 6.2% half sample
Nigeria 1,150 Age, Gender, Region +/- 2.9% total sample 100 Age, Education, +/- 9.8% total sample
+/- 4.1% half sample Gender +/- 13.9% half sample
All other 1,150 Age, Gender, Region +/- 2.9% total sample 200 Age, Education, +/- 6.9% total sample
countries +/- 4.1% half sample Gender +/- 9.8% half sample
NOTE: Questions that afforded respondents the opportunity to criticize their government were not asked in China, Russia and Thailand.
* Some questions were asked of only half of the sample. Please refer to the footnotes on each slide for details.
** For the general population, there were additional quotas on ethnicity in the UK and U.S., and on nationality in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
*** For the informed public, there were additional quotas on nationality in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
51

## Page 52

2021 EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER
LANGUAGES AND INTERNET PENETRATION BY COUNTRY
The Edelman Trust Barometer is an online survey. In developed countries, a nationally-representative online sample closely mirrors the general population. In
countries with lower levels of internet penetration, a nationally-representative online sample will be more affluent, educated and urban than the general population.
Languages Internet Languages Internet Languages Internet
Penetration* Penetration* Penetration*
Global - 83% Indonesia Indonesian 63% Singapore English, 88%
Simplified Chinese
Argentina Localized Spanish 93% Ireland English 92% S. Africa English, Afrikaans 55%
Australia English 87% Italy Italian 93% S. Korea Korean 96%
Brazil Portuguese 71% Kenya English 87% Spain Spanish 93%
Canada English, 94% Japan Japanese 94% Thailand Thai 82%
French Canadian
China Simplified Chinese 59% Malaysia Malay 81% The English, Dutch 96%
Netherlands
Colombia Localized Spanish 63% Mexico Localized Spanish 67% UAE English, Arabic 96%
France French 92% Nigeria Localized English 61% UK English 95%
Germany German 96% Russia Russian 81% U.S. English, 90%
Localized Spanish
India English, Hindi 41% Saudi Arabia English, Arabic 92%
*Data source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm as of 1/12/21 52

## Page 53

2021 EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER 1. News engagement (does one or more of these several times a week or more)
• “Read, view or listen to news and information produced by major news organizations or
HOW WE MEASURED publications at the original source” MED_SEG_OFTr1
• “Read news and information from major news organizations sent to me by others or pushed to
INFORMATION HYGIENE me on a news feed, social network platform or application” MED_SEG_OFTr2
• “Read, view or listen to news and information put out by major corporations regarding important
To determine whether respondents practiced good social and political issues and events” MED_SEG_OFTr16
information hygiene, we measured four dimensions: • “Listen to podcasts or read newsletters or blog posts put out by independent individuals whom I
1. Regular engagement with news: Do they stay informed? trust to keep me informed about important issues, but who do not work for a news media
company”MED_SEG_OFTr17
2. Engagement with differing points of view: Do they avoid
information echo chambers? 2. Avoiding information echo chambers (must say they do one or more of these)
3. Information verification: Do they avoid assuming something • “How often do you read or listen to information or points of view from people, media sources or
is true simply because it supports their point of view? organizations with whom you often disagree?” NEWS_DIS (weekly or more)
4. Avoids spreading misinformation: Do they check information • “When someone you know sends you some information that supports a position that you do
veracity before forwarding content to others? NOT believe, which of the following do you typically do with it?” POS_DIS (study thoroughly)
3. Verify information (must say they do two or more of these)
Each respondent’s level of information hygiene was • “Confirm that a news story is really true by looking across multiple information sources”
categorized based on their performance across the four MED_SEG_OFTr15 (several times a week or more)
dimensions: • “When someone you know sends you some information that supports a position you believe,
• Good: Performs well on three or more dimensions which of the following do you typically do with it?” POS_BEL (use fact-checking sites and/or
verify from people I know and/or go to original source material)
• Moderate: Performs well on any two dimensions
• Poor: Performs well on one or fewer dimensions 4. Do not amplify unvetted information (must never do this)
• “Pass on news and information to others without first checking its accuracy or the integrity of the
source”MED_SEG_OFTr18
53

## Page 54

2021 EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER
HOW WE PLOTTED THE INSTITUTIONAL
COMPETENCE AND ETHICS SCORES
The competence score (the x-axis of the plot): An institution’s competence score is a net of the top 3 box (AGREE) minus the bottom 3 box (DISAGREE) responses
to the question “To what extent do you agree with the following statement? [INSTITUTION] in general is good at what it does”. The resulting net score was then
subtracted by 50 so that the dividing line between more competent and less competent institutions crossed the y-axis at zero.
The net ethical score (the y-axis of the plot): The ethics dimension is defined by four separate items. For each item, a net score was calculated by taking the top 5
box percentage representing a positive ethical perception minus the bottom 5 box percentage representing a negative ethical perception. The y-axis value is an
average across those 4 net scores. Scores higher than zero indicate an institution that is perceived as ethical.
DIMENSION ETHICAL PERCEPTION UNETHICAL PERCEPTION
Respondents were asked: Purpose-Driven Highly effective agent of Completely ineffective agent
In thinking about why you do or do not trust [INSTITUTION], positive change of positive change
please specify where you think they fall on the scale Honest Honest and fair Corrupt and biased
between the two opposing descriptions. (Please use the Vision Has a vision for the future Does not have a vision for the
slider to indicate where you think [INSTITUTION] falls that I believe in future that I believe in
between the two extreme end points of each scale.) Serves the interests of Serves the interests of only
Fairness everyone equally and fairly certain groups of people
54

## Page 55

2021 EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER Full list of behaviors examined (top 5 highlighted in bold)
1. Meeting your overall expectations for how they should be
HOW WE CALCULATED INCREASED responding to the health and public safety aspects of the
COVID-19 pandemic
LIKELIHOOD TO TRUST BUSINESS 2. Meeting your overall expectations for how they should be
responding to the economic consequences of the COVID-19
pandemic
3. Partnering with other organizations and societal institutions, even
if they might be competitors, to mount the strongest and most
Respondents were asked to evaluate the performance of business as an institution effective responses possible to our societal challenges
against a variety of behavioral expectations. These performance scores were then 4. Stepping in to fill leadership voids and policy gaps left by
government
incorporated into a discrete choice analysis to determine which behaviors, if done 5. Doing everything they can to ensure the safety and wellbeing of
well, would provide the greatest boost to trust in business. our people and communities
The top five performance drivers of trust, defined in terms of marginal effect on 6. Identifying and addressing systemic inequalities, unfair treatment,
likelihood to trust associated with doing that behavior well, are displayed on the and prejudices within society and in the business world
7. Shaping our culture for the better by inspiring positive change in
slide. how we see and treat ourselves and each other
8. Developing new solutions to help address our country’s problems
9. Working to benefit their employees, customers, and local
community, in addition to their owners and shareholders
10. Putting people before profits
11. Being the guardian of information quality, working to ensure
that only true, verified information is being shared and
circulated
Respondents were asked: 12. Driving the economic prosperity of our country
13. Working to ensure that our workers have the skills necessary to be
How well do you feel business is currently doing competitive in the global job market
each of the following? Please indicate your answer 14. Investing in the local communities where they are headquartered
using the 5-point scale below where 1 means the or have large production facilities/offices
15. Taking a long-term perspective when making business
institution is “failing at this” and 5 means the decisions versus focusing on short-term profits
institution is “doing this very well”. 16. Embracing sustainable practices across their business
55

## Page 56

2021 EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER TEAM
Edelman Intellectual Property Edelman Data x Intelligence
Executive Director Tonia E. Ries
tonia.ries@edelman.com Head of Thought David M. Bersoff, Ph.D.
Leadership Research david.bersoff@edelmandataxintelligence.com
Executive Advisors Richard Edelman
Kirsty Graham Sr. Research Manager Cody Armstrong
Dave Samson
Global Marketing Vanessa Pymble Research Coordinators Nick Maxwell
Polly Mingledorff Giuseppe Bovenzi
Thom Holiday Abbey Fox
Pamela Blandon Data Processor John Zamites
Michael Bush
Executive Editor Nancy Jeffrey
VP of Operations Sarah Adkins
Sr. Project Manager Esther Choi
Project Coordinator Chloe Buckley
Design David Sookochoff
Brad Good
Sharon Chong Bayley

## Page 58

DIVIDER IMAGE CREDITS
Slide 4 Pandemic Puts Trust to the Test
People wear face masks as they wait at Hankou Railway Station on January 22, 2020 in Wuhan, China: Getty Images
Slide 13 Pandemic Further Fuels Fears
Indian paramilitary troopers wearing a protective suit distribute free food for migrant laborers during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown on the outskirts of
Srinagar: Tauseef Mustafa / AFP via Getty Images
Slide 18 Crisis of Leadership
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the briefing room at the White House on November 5, 2020 in Washington, DC. Votes are still being counted two days after the presidential election as incumbent
Trump is in a close race against challenger Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, which remains too close to call: Chip Somodevilla/ Getty Images
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks and takes questions during a press conference in Downing Street regarding the coronavirusoutbreak, on March 9, 2020. in London, England: Alberto Pezzali/ WPA
Pool/Getty Images
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico's president, speaks during a news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020. Lopez Obradorreiterated Wednesday that
hell wait until the U.S. presidential election process is fully concluded before he congratulates a winner: Cegarra/ Bloomberg via Getty Images
President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro and Health Minister Nelson Teich speak during a press conference to announce Teichas newly appointed Health Minister amidst coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at the
PlanaltoPalace on April, 16, 2020 in Brasilia. President Bolsonaro has fired outgoing Minister of Health Luiz Henrique Mandettaover differences in coronavirus strategy. Brazil has over 30,000 confirmed
positive cases of Coronavirus and 1942 deaths: Andressa Anholete/ Getty Images
Slide 24 Raging Infodemic Feeds Mistrust
A protester holds a placard during the Irish Freedom Party an anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown rally outside the Custom House,on day 39 of the nationwide Level 5 lockdown. On Saturday, November 28,
2020, in Dublin, Ireland: Artur Widak / NurPhotovia Getty Images
Slide 30 High Stakes for Public Health and the Economy
Local response to Coronavirus is felt on a street-by-street level as restaurants, shops and small businesses are closed up with their shutters pulled down on LadypoolRoad in Birmingham, England: Mike
Kemp / In Pictures via Getty Images
Slide 34 A New Mandate for Business
Female cashier working at supermarket attending a woman customer. Woman wearing protective face mask sitting at grocery store checkout counter during covid-19 pandemic talking with a customer. Luis
Alvarez via Getty Images
58