Public trust crumbles amid Covid-19, fake news: Global survey

This article is more than 12 months old

Jan 14, 2021 06:00 am

LONDON : Trust in governments, business chiefs and media is crumbling amid a perceived mishandling by leaders of the coronavirus pandemic and a widespread feeling among people that they are being misled, a global survey has found.

The Edelman Trust Barometer, which for two decades has polled thousands on their trust in core institutions, found 57 per cent of people believe government leaders, business chiefs and journalists are spreading falsehoods or exaggerations.

The survey found a greater hesitancy on vaccines among those who rely mostly on social media, and underlined the polarisation of politics in the United States.

"The violent storming of the US Capitol last week and the fact that only one-third of people are willing to get a Covid vaccine crystallise the dangers of misinformation," said Mr Richard Edelman, whose Edelman communications group produces the survey.

The survey was conducted between Oct 19 and Nov 18 among more than 33,000 respondents in 27 countries. - REUTERS