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Edelman reports a slight uptick in people’s trust in business, NGOs, government and media, according to its 2019 Trust Barometer released today.
People though remain distrustful of government and media with each scoring 47 percent trust ratings, up three percent. They are more bullish on NGOs and business at 56 percent each.
The firm finds a 16 percent trust gap between the “informed public” (65 percent) and the “mass population” (49 percent).
Trust among informed Americans jumped a healthy 15 points to 60 percent and six points to 49 percent for the general population.
Women are less trustful than men by a 50 percent to 55 percent margin. There's a double-digit gender trust gap of 15 percent in the US, driven by women’s lower trust in business.
The Trust Barometer shows a 38 point gap in trust in media between Democrats (69 percent) and Republicans (33 percent).
Republicans, in turn, are more trustful of business by a 66 percent to 51 percent score.
The Barometer reports a 22 percent surge in news engagement among “consumers” (consume news weekly or more) and “amplifiers (consume news weekly or more and share or post content several times a month or more).
Sixty-five percent of Americans and Canadian trust traditional media, while little more than one-in-three (34 percent) trust social media.
About three-quarters (73 percent) of respondents overall worry about false information or fake news being used as a weapon.
"My employer" (75 percent) is the most trusted institution. That trust "cements the employer-employee relationship," according to the Barometer.
Nearly eight-in-ten (78 percent) of employees who trust their employer are more likely to advocate on its behalf. Only 39 percent of workers who did not trust their employer are willing to lobby for it.
That trust advantage is found in loyalty (38 percent), engagement (33 percent) and committment (31 percent), according to Edelman's 19th annual trust barometer.
Even though a majority of consumers are turning to social media as their preferred source of breaking news, issues surrounding trust and the quality of social media content remain a concern for many of them.
While PR pitches play a major role in shaping what stories journalists cover, Muck Rack’s “State of Journalism 2026” report says that there are several ways PR pros could improve the chance of their pitches making it on to a media platform.
Internal communications have become a key element in how well organizations are able to negotiate change, according to a new report from Gallagher Communications Limited. That makes change communications targeted at employees more important than ever. 
The deadline for O'Dwyer's 2026 rankings of PR firms, a benchmark study of the growth of the industry since 1970, is Mon., Mar. 16. Show your expertise in 23 PR specialties. Rankings are also tabulated by 14 cities and regions.
Zeno Group releases a report showing that while communications are a bigger factor than ever in strategy, growth, risk and workforce decisions for companies, most communications leaders don’t think they are totally ready for what lies ahead.
