Germany has suffered image damage among its own population.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin The population’s trust in governments and the media has fallen massively during the pandemic. The economy, on the other hand, was able to maintain its top position in the global confidence barometer of the New York consulting firm Edelman. The reason for the distrust is that many people blame governments and the media for the polarization of their societies, while companies, in their eyes, are more likely to ensure social cohesion.
Edelman bases its trust barometer on surveys of more than 36,000 participants in 28 countries. The results are traditionally published as part of the World Economic Forum, which this year can only take place virtually again due to the pandemic.
“The economy must now be the stabilizing force that delivers tangible measures and results on society’s most sensitive issues,” said CEO Richard Edelman at the launch of the barometer. Social leadership has thus become a core function of the economy.
According to the study, scientists also gained trust during the pandemic. They are ahead with 75 out of a possible 100 points, almost twice as good as government officials. Colleagues and one’s own boss are also considered trustworthy. In contrast, CEOs in general continue to be met with skepticism.
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“This vicious cycle of distrust threatens societal stability,” Edelman said. “It’s a death grip with the media chasing clicks and the government chasing votes. Both feed a cycle of disinformation and division, exploiting it for commercial and political gain.”
Democracies lose, authoritarian states win
The differences are particularly clear when it comes to general competence questions. Here, corporations outperformed governments by 53 percentage points.
However, the severe loss of trust in governments differs significantly from country to country. While trust in the political system is highest in China with a value of 83 points, Germany has suffered image damage in the eyes of its own population. With a minus of seven points, Germany is the big loser in the nation ranking and, with a total of 46 points, is one of those countries that many citizens distrust.
However, the “made in Germany” brand has not suffered as a result. From the perspective of other countries, Germany is still one of those countries that people have a lot of economic confidence in.
The values for the political system in Great Britain and the USA are even worse than for Germany. In the United States, it is primarily supporters of the opposition Republicans who have lost confidence in the institutions of American society. “Trust in the developed democracies has collapsed,” says CEO Edelman.
The pollsters attribute the loss of confidence primarily to economic causes. Respondents in all industrialized countries surveyed believe that they will be financially worse off in five years. A total of 85 percent feared that they would lose their jobs, among other things, due to automation.
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