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2007 Edelman Trust Barometer - Summary of findings

Overarching Themes

Growing Trust Divide – No Uniform Global Strategy for Building Trust

·         Big regional variations in the most trusted institutions.  Many developing countries trust business more than any other institutions; while many developed countries put the most trust in NGOs.

·         Developing countries also tend to show a stronger trust for “strong global brands,” while developed countries tend to put more emphasis on a “strong local presence.”

·         Declining trust scores in France, Germany, Canada and particularly the UK for many entities, sources of information and types of spokespeople.

·         Growing divide between the US and UK outlook (US trust in many specific companies grew, while UK trust dropped).

Trust in many communications sources has declined; peer-to-peer continues to play an important role

·         Ratings of trust in “person like yourself or peer” have dropped in many regions (along with many other sources of information/spokespeople.)

·         Nonetheless, “person like yourself or peer” remains the top ranked spokesperson in North America, Latin America and the EU

·         In many regions “conversations with friends and peers” is a more trusted source of information about a company than the traditionally authoritative sources of “articles in newspapers” or “television news coverage.”

·         Opinion elites tend to define person like me more in terms of affinity (e.g., “shares common interest,” “is the same profession,” “holds similar political beliefs”) than by innate characteristics such as nationality, gender, race and religion.

Importance of CSR:

·         Strong belief that businesses can and must play a unique role in addressing social challenges.

·         CSR plays a vital role in building trust.

·         Essential role of employee communications and treatment in contributing to perceptions of a socially responsible company.

·         Divide between developing countries and developed countries, with the latter showing greater distrust in business and less faith in their positive contributions to society.

“Trustholders” segmented by the type of influence they exert:

·         Three “Trustholder” segments exerting their influence in different manners:  “personal influencers,” “activist influencers,” and “social influencers.”

·         Next steps in segmentation analysis:  link back to how to communicate and build trust with these various groups.

Section 1: The State of Trust in Institutions, Corporations, and Governments

Trust in Institutions:  NGOs Remain the Most Trusted and Governments the Least

• [QA1-5]
• NGOs remain the most trusted institution – with 10 out of 18 countries giving them the highest trust scores. 
• Mexico (71%) and Italy (62%) and trust NGOs the most and Sweden (29%) the least.
• Government is generally the least trusted institution, with 12 out of 18 countries giving them the lowest ratings.
• Religious institutions are the least trusted in 6 out of 18 countries.  Trust is lowest in Japan (17%) and Sweden (21%) and highest in Netherlands (57%), Brazil and the USA (both 55%)
• Business generally receives lower trust scores in Europe (45%) and North America (52%) than in Asia (60%) and Latin America (68%). 
• Business is the most trusted institutions in the UK, Russia, Korea, India, Mexico and Brazil
• Trust in business is highest in Mexico (71%) and, India and China (both 67%), and lowest in France (28%) and Germany (31%).
• Media, like business is more trusted in Latin American (62%) and Asia (55%) than in North America (42%) and Europe (36%).
• Trust in all institutions in general is highest in Latin America and lowest in Europe[1].
• In the UK, Trust in government (Â’06-33%; Â’07-16%), business (Â’06-53%; ‘07-44%) and NGOs (Â’06-56%; Â’07-41%) all declined significantly over the past year.
• The US and the UK are becoming more divergent from one another in their trust of institutions. 
• The UK now trusts business more than NGOs, reversing last yearÂ’s pattern.
• In Canada, trust in media and business in general fell back to Â’05 levels after climbing last year.
• Spain also showed several significant shifts in Trust, with government (Â’06-33%; Â’07-40%) and media (Â’06-35%; Â’07-49%) climbing over the past year and NGOs dropping (Â’06-65%; Â’07-57%).

Trust in Industry Sectors:  Technology Remains Strong

• [QA6-18]
• Technology is the most trusted sector overall, receiving the highest trust ratings in 15 out of the 18 countries surveyed, and across all four regions.  (Europe – 72%; North America – 75%; Latin America – 80%; Asia – 79%)
• Biotech also receives strong trust scores in most regions.
• Media is the least trusted industry sector overall, with 8 out of 18 countries ranking it last. Insurance, Entertainment and Energy industries also tend to receive the low end of the trust scores

Trust in Leading Corporate Brands:  Aside from a Few Global Powerhouses, Trust is Localized

• [QA19-54]
• We often see a home-country advantage, with the USA giving the top score to UPS (83%), France the second-highest score to Danone (69%), China the 3^rd highest score to Haier (89%), Japan the highest score to Nissan (79%), India to Tata (89%), and Brazil the second-highest score to Embraer (91%).
• This partly relates to lower awareness levels for regional players.  Low awareness typically links to lower trust scores.
• The brands with the most consistently strong scores across the Europe, North American, Latin America and Asia are concentrated in the technology sector and include Siemens, Dell, Samsung, J&J, Dannon, Nissan, Electrolux, and Greenpeace.
• Major global companies which show substantial regional variation include Starbucks (Europe-32% vs. North America-68%), McDonalds (Europe-35% vs. Asia and Latin America–66%), Exxon (Europe-26% vs. Latin America–64%), Citicorp (Europe–25% vs. Asia–62%), Pfizer (Europe-39% vs. Latin America-65%).
• In the US, trust in nearly all brands rose over the past year, including Greenpeace, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Shell, Unilever, Citicorp, J&J, Merck, Pfizer, Samsung, Nissan, Alcan, Starbucks, PepsiCo, Wrigley, AstraZeneca, GSK.
• Most European countries give high trust ratings to NGO brands.
• In the UK, trust in many companies dropped significantly, including Amnesty International, ExxonMobil, Coca Cola, Shell, Unilever, Merck, Pfizer, Samsung, GE, and GSK.
• All other countries showed far fewer significant shifts in trust in specific companies or organizations.

Trust by Country of Origin:  Developing Countries Face Greater Trust Challenges

• [QA55-72]
• Companies based in Sweden are the most trusted across headquarter countries studied, with 8 out of 18 countries giving them the highest trust scores.  German and Canadian-headquartered companies also enjoy high trust ratings globally.
• Europe has the greatest trust in Swedish companies, North America has the greatest trust in Canadian companies, and Asia gives German companies the highest trust ratings. Germany and Canada were tied for the most trusted nationality in Latin American.
• Companies based in Russia are the least trusted across headquarter countries studied, with 14 out of the 18 countries surveyed giving them the lowest trust scores.    India, Mexico, China and Poland also face trust challenges.
• Russians also give lower scores to their own companies than do respondents from any other region.
• In the UK, trust in every headquarter country included in last yearÂ’s study dropped significantly (including British trust in UK companies, which declined from 79% to 66%).
• Similarly, in Canada, trust in all headquarter countries dropped significantly (with the exception of Canada itself).

Section 2: Building Blocks of Trust

What builds trust?  Quality Products and Social Responsibility Both Play Essential Roles

• [QB3]
•  Â“Quality products and services” are by far the most important factor (out of a list of 9) in building trust globally.   It is the top driver of trust in 17 out of 18 countries studied.
• “Socially responsible activities” (one of the top three drivers in 12 out of 18 countries) and “attentiveness to customer needs” (one of the top three drivers in 12 out of 18 countries studied) and “labor relations” also play a vital role in building trust in a global company.
• Far lower down the list of factors influencing trust are “familiar corporate brand,” “strong financial performance,” “dialog with all stakeholders” and “a visible CEO.”
• In contrast to the rest of the world, Germans value “a visible CEO” as the third most important factor building their trust in a global company.
• All four regions rate “quality products and services” as by far the most important influencer of trust; differences are seen in the second-highest rated factor.  North America and Europe ranks “socially responsible activities” second, while Latin America and Asia rank “attentiveness to customer needs” second.

Global or Local Emphasis?  Varying Geographic Perspectives

• [QB2]
• There is a major geographic divide in countries preferring a “strong global brand” vs. a “strong local presence.” 
• North American, European and Latin American countries tend to prefer the local emphasis.  USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Russia, Mexico, and Brazil all say that a “strong local presence” makes them more likely to trust a global company.
• Asian countries put more trust in a “strong global brand.”  China, Japan, Korea, and India (along with Poland) all select this option.

Section 3: Using Communications to Build Trust

Credibility of Information Sources about a Company:  Aggregated Business Analysis is Most Trusted

• [QC1-11]
• With few exceptions, “stock or industry analyst report” and “articles in business magazines” are the top 2 most credible sources for information about a company.
• Traditional media sources such as newspapers, TV, and radio remain more credible than new media sources such as a companyÂ’s own website and blogs.
• As in past years, earned media sources such as these are universally more credible than paid media (advertising), which rates among the least credible sources across all countries.
• Company-issued communications are not seen as particularly credible, although they are more so than advertising (EU 32% vs. 11%, North America 27% vs. 13%, Latin America 49% vs. 41%, Asia 36% vs. 19%)
• In some countries, particularly in Asia and Latin America, entertainment has some credibility (China 24%, India 35%, Mexico 39%, Brazil 33%), in contrast to very low credibility in Europe (UK 10%, Sweden 9%, France 8%, Germany 6%).
• “Conversations with your friends and peers” are not credible in the same way that “friends and family” were last year.  This was the #1 most credible source only in Brazil (70%) and Canada (45%); in most countries it fell to 3^rd or 4^th place or lower.
• On a regional level, TV news coverage ranks much higher in Asia than other regions, while stock or industry analyst reports and articles in business magazines follow the opposite pattern (ranking lower in Asia than North America, Latin America and Europe).
• The US, UK, France, Germany, Canada and Japan all showed declining trust levels in many types of both traditional and new media from 2006 to 2007.

Credibility of Spokespersons:  “People Like Me” are Highly Influential Spokespeople

• [QC12-24]
• “A person like me” is the most credible spokesperson for information about a company in the UK, France, Spain, Brazil and Canada.
• The credibility of a person like yourself receives much lower ratings in Russia, China and France
• In contrast, in several Asian countries (Japan, Korea, India) and Mexico, the “CEO or leader of your company/employer” is the most credible spokesperson.
• In most European and North American countries, only a minority of opinion elites consider their own CEO a credible spokesperson.
• Independent experts are widely considered credible spokespeople, with “doctors or healthcare specialists” (North America = 49%; EU = 50%; Latin America = 80%, Asia = 56%); followed by accountants, academics, NGOs and financial/industry analysts seen as credible.
• A regular employee of a company is viewed as equally as or more credible than a CEO everywhere except Japan and Mexico, where a CEO was seen as more credible.
• The credibility of bloggers has declined in nearly all tracking countries
• The US, UK, France and Germany all showed significant declines in their trust for many types of spokespeople.

Who is a person like me?  Common Interests and Experience Matter More than Innate Characteristics

• [QC25]
• Across all countries, “sharing common interests” with a person is the factor most likely to increase trust in the information they share about a company.
• This is not surprising as the prevalence of high speed Internet access among opinion elites makes it easier to connect with those who share similar interests.
• Nearly as important were factors such as holding similar political beliefs and having the same profession. Importance of these factors saw minimal variation across countries.
• Being from someoneÂ’s local community was also important – generally more so than sharing nationality or race/ethnicity.
• A personÂ’s nationality helps to increase their trustworthiness in some countries, such as Japan, India, and Mexico, while it is seen as much less important in Canada, the US or France.

• A personÂ’s race carries more weight when measuring their trustworthiness in Asia than in North America or the EU.
• The United States is unique in the importance placed on a personÂ’s religion, which trumps gender, nationality, and race.

Section 4: The Consequences of Trust and Mistrust

What influencers do in relation to companies they do not trust

• [QB12-21]
• When opinion elites distrust a company they react in ways which have a direct and tangible effect.  “Refusing to buy their products or use their services” was the top action taken in all four regions (Europe-83%; North America – 85%; Latin America-79%; Asia-74%).
• The other most frequently taken actions were “criticizing the company to people you know” (Europe-79%; North America – 80%; Latin America-64%; Asia-62%).and “refusing to invest in them.” (Europe-72%; North America –80%; Latin America-61%; Asia-65%).
• Brazilians are most likely to actively demonstrate or protest (59% vs. 12-37% for all other countries)
• In Canada, UK, France, and Germany respondents appear to be becoming more active in their response to distrust with many actions showing a significant increase over last year.
• In Japan, China and Italy likelihood of having taken many actions declined from 2006 to 2007. 
• “Sharing experiences on the Web” rose sharply in Europe, the US and Brazil.

Using and sharing information to build trust:  A Circular Flow of Information

• [QB5-11]
• Opinion elites are engaged in a continuous cycle of conversation about global companies.
• In all regions opinion elites agree that “I frequently share my opinions about companies with others” (Europe-73%; North America–82%; Latin America–87%; Asia-72%).
• At the same time people are looking to others as they develop their beliefs.  Opinion elites agree that “I look to people I trust to help form my opinion about companies” (Europe-70%; North America–75%; Latin America – 71%; Asia-74%).
• Despite all of their opinion-sharing, most agree that “companies need to do a better job of listening to people like me.”   (Europe- 80%; North America – 93%; Latin America – 85%; Asia-78%).

Trustholder Segments:  PeopleÂ’s tendencies with regard to information and action classify them into three distinct “Trustholder” categories

1. “Personal Influencers” – These are people who engage in more passive or personal actions, such as refusing to buy a companyÂ’s products or refusing to invest in a company.  Interestingly, these folks also criticize companies to people that they know.  Survey items that cluster together to define this segment include:
• Refused to invest in them
• Refused to buy their products or services
• Refused to work for them
• Criticized them to people you know
• Ignored their attempts to communicate with you
• Supported legislation controlling or limiting their activities

1. “Activist Influencers” – These are people who take part in much more engaging, outspoken, public actions.  Survey items that cluster together to define this segment include:
• Written a letter or e-mail complaining to the media, a politician, or an official third-party
• Actively demonstrated or protested against them
• Shared your opinion or experiences on the Web
• Investigated more about their activities
• Supported legislation controlling or limiting their activities

1. “Social Influencers” – These are people who share their opinions, look to others to help them form opinions, and believe companies are held accountable by this public opinion.  They also feel that companies need to do a better job of listening to them.  Survey items that cluster together to define this segment include:
• I frequently share my opinions about companies with others
• I look to people I trust to help form my opinions about companies
• I generally believe that companies are held accountable by public opinion
• Companies need to do a better job of listening to people like me

These categories function independently of peopleÂ’s trust in business, so that there are “trusters” and “distrusters” who fall into each of these three influence segments.  The following table shows the number of respondents from the sample in each category.

Achtergrondinformatie

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