2021 Report

Global Report

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

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

PANDEMIC PUTS TRUST TO THE TEST

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

PANDEMIC FURTHER FUELS FEARS

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

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

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

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

CRISIS OF LEADERSHIP

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

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

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

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

RAGING INFODEMIC FEEDS MISTRUST

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

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

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

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

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

HIGH STAKES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE ECONOMY

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

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

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

A NEW MANDATE FOR BUSINESS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SUPPLEMENTAL DATA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TECHNICAL APPENDIX

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

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

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

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

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

2021 EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER TEAM Edelman Intellectual Property Edelman Data x Intelligence Executive Director Tonia E. Ries [email protected] Head of Thought David M. Bersoff, Ph.D. Leadership Research [email protected] 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

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