A nation of ‘distrusters,’ but trust in journalists up

Despite its global reputation as a well-mannered populace, Canada is a nation of “distrusters.”

That’s according to the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer, which surveyed more than 33,000 people from 28 countries and found that Canada ranked ninth for average trust in institutions including government, business, media and non-governmental organizations. People in China, Indonesia and India were the top three distrusters.

According to the survey, which was conducted online last fall, Canadians have a trust index of 49, the same as in 2017 but a point below this year’s global level. Countries given an index of 1 through 49 have “distrust” in institutions and the U.S. experienced the biggest change year over year, dropping nine points to 43.

False information or “fake news” being used as a weapon is a concern for 65 per cent of Canadians, while the U.S. sits with Russia and China in the 71 to 75 per cent of people concerned, according to the survey.

Canadians’ trust in journalists has risen 17 per cent since last year, with 43 per cent of respondents rating them as “very/extremely credible.” Other authority figures who saw double-digit gains include CEOs (11 per cent), government officials and regulators (10 per cent) and financial industry analysts (10 per cent).

Trust in journalism itself — traditional and online-only media — rebounded to 61 per cent after slumping to 51 per cent in 2017. And trust in social media hit a low not seen since 2013, dropping to 28 per cent, down from 29 per cent in 2017.

But more than half of Canadians are not engaged with news, according to the survey, which found that 54 per cent consume news less than weekly, compared to 50 per cent of the global population.

Canadian companies are the most-trusted globally, with 68 per cent of firms headquartered here considered trustworthy, according to the survey. Just half of U.S. companies and 32 per cent of Mexican companies had the respondents’ trust.

Trust in Canada’s entertainment industry declined most of all industries, by 13 per cent, followed by the automotive industry, which was down 11 per cent. Only the energy industry saw an increase, up three per cent over last year.

The “most-broken” institution is government, according to 46 per cent of respondents, followed by media (16 per cent), businesses (10 per cent) and NGOs (eight per cent). Sixty-eight per cent of respondents said “CEOs should take the lead on change rather than waiting for government to impose it.”

Edelman offered three takeaways from its 2018 trust barometer: “Trust depends on clarity, balance, and validation”; “Businesses must be agents of change”; and, “Canadians have a renewed appetite for credible, authoritative voices.”

“Canadians have a renewed appetite for credible, authoritative voices.Β — 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer