2023 Edelman Trust Barometer

The 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer is the 23rd annual trust and credibility survey. Over 32,000 respondents in 28 countries took part in the global report. In the UK, 3,000 people responded.

The report says a lack of faith in societal institutions has been triggered by economic anxiety, disinformation, mass-class divide and a failure of leadership which has led to a deeply and dangerously polarised society.

It says that business is the only institution seen as competent and ethical, with 53% of respondents globally saying their countries are more divided today than in the past.

In the UK, trust in the government hit a record low as 75% of those polled said the UK is heading the wrong way. For the first time in eight years, a majority of people said they expected their standard of living to get worse over the next year while less than a quarter thought their situation would improve in the next five years.