2021 EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER Full list of behaviors examined (top 5 highlighted in bold) 1. Meeting your overall expectations for how they should be responding to the health and public safety aspects of the HOW WE CALCULATED INCREASED COVID-19 pandemic 2. Meeting your overall expectations for how they should be LIKELIHOOD TO TRUST BUSINESS 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 effective responses possible to our societal challenges Respondents were asked to evaluate the performance of business as an institution 4. Stepping in to fill leadership voids and policy gaps left by against a variety of behavioral expectations. These performance scores were then 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 our people and communities well, would provide the greatest boost to trust in business. 6. Identifying and addressing systemic inequalities, unfair treatment, The top five performance drivers of trust, defined in terms of marginal effect on and prejudices within society and in the business world likelihood to trust associated with doing that behavior well, are displayed on the 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 12. Driving the economic prosperity of our country Respondents were asked: 13. Working to ensure that our workers have the skills necessary to be competitive in the global job market How well do you feel business is currently doing 14. Investing in the local communities where they are headquartered each of the following? Please indicate your answer or have large production facilities/offices using the 5-point scale below where 1 means the 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 33