Edelman Trust Barometer 2024: Concerns About Safety & Tech

Published 08 February 2024

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2 min read

US-based consultancy Edelman released its 2024 Trust Barometer, which tracks consumer attitudes on the trustworthiness of governments, media and business across 28 countries. The survey’s 24th edition focused on outlooks on innovation. We highlight the key takeaways.

Key Stats

Progressing Innovation

54%	Globally, 54% of people embrace green energy innovations, while only 13% reject them
30%	The enthusiasm for AI is split worldwide, with 30% of consumers embracing the tech and 35% mistrusting it
29%	Trust in gene-based medicine in divided: 29% of people across the world trust it, whereas 34% are apprehensive
59%	Globally, 59% of consumers believe governments lack adequate understanding of emerging technologies to regulate them effectively
53%	Worldwide, 53% of people think science has become politicised, and 59% believe governments and funding bodies have too much influence over scientific research
45%	Globally, 45% of consumers think scientists don’t know how to communicate with the general population; this proportion is especially high in China, at 64%
74%	At 74%, scientists and peers (“someone like me”) are trusted the most worldwide to tell the truth about innovation and technology

Left vs Right

53%	In the US, 53% of people who are politically right-leaning reject innovation across green energy, AI, gene-based medicine and GMO foods, compared with only 12% of leftists
47%	In Germany, 47% of right-wing voters reject innovation across green energy, AI, gene-based medicine and GMO foods, compared with 27% of left-wingers
35%	In the UK, 35% of right-wingers reject innovation across green energy, AI, gene-based medicine and GMO foods, compared with 22% of those on the left
38%	In the Netherlands, 38% of right-leaning people reject innovation across green energy, AI, gene-based medicine and GMO foods, compared with 27% of left-wingers
45%	In France, 45% of right-wingers reject innovation across green energy, AI, gene-based medicine and GMO foods, compared with 36% of those on the left
17	In Argentina, 40% of left-leaning voters mistrust AI innovations, compared with 23% of those on the right – a 17 percentage point difference

Governments vs Business

63%	Globally, 63% of people trust businesses (up one percentage point from 2023), followed by NGOs (59%), governments (51%) and the media (50%)
86%	Across the world, trust in governments is highest in Saudi Arabia (86%), China (85%) and the UAE (84%)
21%	Trust in governments is lowest in Argentina at just 21%, followed by South Africa (29%) and the UK (30%); the UK saw a seven percentage point fall from last year
76%	Globally, people trust industries to do what’s right, with technology (76%), education (75%) and healthcare (73%) sectors being the most trusted, and social media (49%), financial services (61%) and fashion (63%) the least trusted
70%	Worldwide, consumers trust family-owned companies the most – at 70% – and state-owned businesses the least, at 54%

Worries About Global Safety

11/28	Just 11 out of 28 countries trust the United Nations, with India and Kenya being the most trusting at 77%, and Italy (48%), Argentina (38%) and Japan (38%) the least trusting
73%	Globally, people are more worried about foreign attacks, like nuclear war (73%, up two percentage points (pp)), information wars (61%, +6pp) and hackers (75%, +5pp)

The Quest for Reliable Information

50%	Only 50% of global consumers trust the media; this is lowest in the UK, at 31% (down six percentage points since 2023), followed by Japan and Argentina at 33%
63%	Worldwide, 63% of people worry whether governments tell the truth or purposefully try to mislead; similar numbers are true for businesses, at 61%, and journalists, at 64%
59%	People across the world get most of their information through online searches (59%), followed by social media (51%) and national media (47%)
68%	At 68%, global consumers trust search engines the most to find reliable news and information; social media is trusted the least, at 44%

Progressing Innovation: Overall, 76% of people trust tech companies to do what’s right, but some innovations have more widespread support than others. Globally, 54% of consumers are enthusiastic about green energy, whereas only about 30% support artificial intelligence (AI) and gene-based medicine. Meanwhile, 53% of people believe science has become too politicised, and 59% think governments and funding organisations have too much influence over scientific research.
Governments vs Business: Similar to last year, consumers consider governments less trustworthy, competent and ethical than businesses: 63% of people worldwide trust companies, compared with 51% who have faith in their government.

Left vs Right: The survey showed a significant tech acceptance gap between those who politically identify as right- and left-wing, especially in Western societies. In the US, 53% of right-leaning voters are resistant to developments in green energy, AI, gene-based medicine and GMO foods, compared with just 12% of left-leaning voters. Similarly in Germany, 47% of right-leaning voters dispute emerging innovation, compared with 27% of left-leaning consumers.

Worries About Global Safety: Worldwide, people are very worried about nuclear war (73%), information war (61%) and hackers (75%). Meanwhile, trust in the United Nations (UN) Security Council is falling. Just 11 out of 28 countries trust the UN, with India and Kenya being the most trusting (77%), and Italy (48%), Argentina (38%) and Japan (38%) the least trusting.
The Quest for Reliable Information: Globally, 63% of people think government officials intentionally mislead the public, whereas 64% believe journalists do the same. Consequently, consumers are seeking alternative information sources. Most (59%) acquire information and news through search engines like Google, which 68% of people consider as reliable. Social media is the second most common information source, but it’s trusted by only 44% of consumers. See also The New News Media.

For more, read Safety in a Turbulent World.