03 Mar 2025

How has organisational trust changed in the past year?

In a recent article for the Institute for PR, Edelman spoke about the change in organisational trust levels in the past year. As part of the 2025 Trust Barometer research, Edelman conducted a survey from October to November 2024, involving over 33,000 individuals across 28 countries. The survey shed light on how public grievance impacts trust in institutions.

The findings reveal significant concerns and perceptions that are crucial for public relations professionals to understand and address.

Key Findings:

Misinformation Concerns: 68% of respondents expressed worry that organisational leaders intentionally mislead the public by knowingly sharing false information. This highlights a critical challenge for PR professionals: the need to combat misinformation and build credibility.
Widespread Grievance: 61% of participants believed that governments and organisations serve narrow interests. This perception is linked to a greater distrust of AI, suggesting that transparency and ethical practices in AI deployment are essential to gaining public trust.
Perceptions of Media: among those with high grievance levels, 75% thought news organisations prioritise attracting a big audience over informing the public, and 67% believe these organisations support an ideology rather than providing unbiased information.
When CEOs should act: those with low grievance levels supported CEOs addressing an issue when it “drives major impact” (79%), “boosts performance” (77%), “protects stakeholders” (73%), or “addresses company contributions to the problem” (72%).
Why it matters: trust in institutions is fragile — leaders must navigate grievance levels by prioritising transparency and meaningful action.

Click here to read the full article.