Despite the difficulties CEOs and brands experienced in 2018, they emerged victorious in the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, released late last month. The public trusts businesses and CEOs most to right society’s ship. Trust, the survey says, shifted “profoundly” in 2018; “my employer” now is the institution people trust most.
As was the case in the 2018 report, the 2019 survey of more than 33,000 people in 27 countries found trust declining in traditional figures of authority and institutions.
My employer (75 percent) is significantly more trusted than NGOs (57 percent), business (56 percent), government (48 percent) and media (47 percent).
Of interest to communicators, 76 percent of people surveyed say they want CEOs to lead the charge on social and economic change. 71 percent of employees believe it’s “critically important” for “my CEO” to respond to challenging times. Brands can be profitable as well as change agents, 73 percent believe.