Trust in government, business and the media are all rising in the UAE
New survey finds that the Emirates rates in the top four globally for trust in its institutions
People in the UAE are increasingly confident in government and business, says a survey that put the country second in the world for trust in leadership.
The latest Edelman Trust Barometer, released on the eve of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, found 82 per cent trusted the UAE government, a rise of 5 per cent on last year, leaving the country narrowly behind China.
Lack of trust was a problem in 16 of the 26 countries surveyed. They included Spain, with a fall of eight points to 26 per cent, and Russia, where one in three said they trusted their rulers.
While trust rose slightly in the UK and US, most in those countries were still sceptical about their governments. Globally, trust in government rose by 3 per cent.
It was a similar picture for trust in business, where the UAE’s score of 74 per cent was up six points from last year, placing it fourth, with China again first.
Those scoring poorly included Russia, with one in three saying they trusted business, a fall of 7 per cent.
In the final category, trust in media rose by three points to 60 per cent in the UAE, with the country fourth behind India, Indonesia and China.
Edelman said the media was the least trusted of the three institutions they surveyed, with significant falls in Russia, Turkey and Spain.
Despite repeated attacks by US President Donald Trump, trust in American media rose three points, although it still represented less than half the population, at 48 per cent.
The annual Edelman survey is divided into two groups of respondents.
It calls the first the “informed public”, which include university-educated people who are in the top 25 per cent of incomes and are generally well-informed on current affairs.
The second group, the general public, make up 84 per cent of the population, and amount to about two thirds of 1,500 people surveyed in October and November.
The research found a widening gap between the two groups, with 65 per cent of the informed public saying they trusted institutions, compared with 49 per cent of the general public.
It also found that worldwide, 75 per cent of people trusted their employer more than any other group.
In the UAE, 83 per cent said they had a strong relationship with their employer, a rise of seven points, putting the country fourth in the world.
The trust gap between the two groups is at its most severe in developed nations, the survey found, with a deficit of 24 in the UK, 20 in Canada and 18 in France.
“In the past decade we have seen a loss of faith in traditional authority figures and institutions,” said Richard Edelman, president and chief executive of Edelman.
“More recently, people have lost confidence in the social platforms that fostered peer-topeer trust.
“These forces have led people to shift their trust to the relationships within their control, most notably their employers.”
Women in the countries surveyed are increasingly untrusting, especially of business.
Overall, 74 per cent of men in the UAE said they trusted their institutions, compared with 64 per cent of women.
The survey also found that many people around the world were pessimistic about the future, with one in three of the general population thinking they will be better off in five years’ time.
In the past decade we have seen a loss of faith in traditional authority figures and institutions RICHARD EDELMAN President and chief executive, Edelman