Good communications enables business to make sense of the world.
One of the best ways to do this is through communications research. 360 Integrated PR keeps abreast of what’s influencing stakeholders so we can bring that insight to your boardroom.
We help you run your business decisions through the mill of public opinion and social context.
Edelman Trust Barometer is one tool we look at every year. I know Edelman’s PR activities are under a cloud in ethical terms, but this is a useful tool that they make freely available to all.
The big takeaway from the 2025 Barometer is the overwhelming sense of grievance that many people feel against institutions and how that affects their decision making.
You will reach your own conclusions as you read these highlights. I’d love to mull them over with you amicably over a pint or a cuppa. Let me know.
Do leaders lie to us?
We’ll start with the revelation that there has been a double-digit growth in the numbers who feel that leaders deliberately lie to us. It’s at an all-time high. 68% of respondents believe business leaders purposely mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations. That’s a rise of 12% since 2021. Government leaders and journalists fare no better.
This has consequences. For instance, over half (53%) of those with a high sense of grievance have a zero-sum mindset. They believe that ‘what helps people who don’t share my politics comes at a cost to me’. This is more than twice as high as those with a low grievance position. How can you persuade your employees that the actions you take to support one department does not come at a cost to them? Fairness is much harder to demonstrate if this is the perception.
Trust in business has undoubtedly fallen, Yet, according to the research, it is still seen as both more competent and more ethical than government, media or NGOs. This seems a contradiction until one realises that, among those with a high sense of grievance, business is seen as 81 points less ethical and 37 points less competent than among those with low grievance. Those with a low sense of grievance had a considerably most positive view of business.
Opportunity for business action
But this itself provides an opportunity for business leaders if they are prepared to act. With a high sense of grievance, comes a high sense that business should do more.
Unsurprisingly, 64% of people with a high grievance feel business is not going far enough to address affordability. However, 62% also believe business is not going far enough to tackle climate change, 55% misinformation and 53% discrimination. These are all nearly 20% ahead of comparable figures for people with a low sense of grievance.
This runs counter to the populist argument that people just want to be left alone – low taxes, low interest in climate change, happy with disinformation.
The key point here is that people want CEOs to act on societal issues where they can make a difference. This is true across all levels of grievance. Over three quarters of all respondents believe CEOs are justified in addressing a societal issue of “they could make a major impact on the challenge”. The figures for addressing issues if “doing so would improve business performance” are nearly as high.
For years people have been saying ‘Deference is dead’ and this report confirms it. Influence is no longer earned through formal positions of power. People (in democracies at least) give power to the people they believe understand what people like them need and want.
Businesses who champion shared interests with customers and employees build trust and overcome grievances against them. Organisations can start by signing up to the Better Business Act and devising a reputation management plan which drives your trustworthiness.
Our job is to make that happen.
Protest photo by Liam Edwards on Unsplash