Edelman Trust Barometer: Welcome To The Age Of Grievance

(MENAFN- PRovoke) Five key takeaways:

• Widespread grievance means that growing numbers are willing to embrace“hostile activism,” even violence, to achieve their aims;
• Almost two-thirds of people around the world (63%) fear being discriminated against, with the highest increase among American whites;
• Among those with high levels of grievance, trust in all major institutions-particularly government-suffers;
• Trust in employers to“do what's right” declined from its high last year, and 68% believe that business leaders intentionally mislead people;
• Two-thirds believe the wealthy do not pay their fair share of taxes and agree that“the wealthy's selfishness causes many of our problems.”

More than 60% of people around the world harbor a sense of grievance, according to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, with just 36% believing that the next generation will be better off, and 40% believing that“hostile activism” can drive change.

The survey found majorities believing that business and government serve select few; that business and government actions“hurt me”; that the system favors the rich; and that as a result, the rich are getting richer.

And it's not just resentment of the rich that is on the increase: the number of people around the world who worry about experiencing prejudice, discrimination, or racism has risen by a staggering 10% since last year, from 53% to 63%, with the sharpest increase among white people in the United States, almost half (48%) of whom say they fear being discriminated against.

Angry and bitter, increasing numbers are embracing“hostile activism.” More than a quarter (27%) approve of attacking people online; a quarter say it is okay to intentionally spread disinformation, and almost as many (23%) say it's okay to threaten or commit violence or damage public and private property.

"Over the last decade, society has devolved from fears to polarization to grievance,” said Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman.“Incumbents in the US, UK, France, Germany, South Korea and Canada were ousted amid voter anger over job loss to globalization and inflation.

“We now see a zero-sum mindset that legitimizes extreme measures like violence and disinformation as tools for change.”

Not surprisingly, the survey finds a strong inverse correlation between grievance and trust. Among those with low levels of grievance, trust in business is a healthy 71%, trust in government is 69%, and even trust in media is 61%. But among those with high levels of grievance, business stands at 42%, government at 25%, and media at 34%.

And low-income respondents trust institutions 13 points less than those with high-income (48 vs. 61).

The survey, which spans 28 countries and included 33,000 responses, found majorities in almost all major markets fearing that their job security is threatened by globalization, looming recession, and technology-both increasing automation and the lack of training.

One result is a decline in employer trust. Changes over the 25-year history of the Trust Barometer had resulted in employers become the most trusted source of information in many markets by the time of the 2021 survey, and last year trust in employers to“do what's right” reached a high of 78%. But this year, trust in employers dropped by 3 points globally, and even more sharply in markets such the US, the UK and Germany.

Fears the business leaders intentionally mislead people has increased by 12% since 2021 and at 68% is now almost as high as the fear that government leaders are lying or knowingly exaggerating (69%, up 11 points) and that the media intentionally mislead (70%, also up 11 points).

Despite the results of the recent US election, which saw a billionaire candidate sweep to victory, supported very visibly by multi-billionaires, 67% of respondents around the world say the wealthy do not pay their fair share of taxes, and 65% agree that“the wealthy's selfishness causes many of our problems.”

“Business is facing backlash from those opposing its role as a catalyst for societal change,” said Edelman.“Moving back from a grievance-based society will require a cross-institution effort to address issues like information integrity, affordability, sustainability, and the future of AI.

“Business will have an opportunity in the coming months to work with the new governments in major democracies on important issues such as trade, energy supply and reskilling.... Our goal must be to give people a sense of control over their destiny, to make changes positive instead of a threat to social status or family well-being.”

Edelman also says there are critical roles for the other three major institutions.

“This is the NGOs' moment as the ethical leader, the unifying force with the highest trust among those with high grievance Government needs to become competent again, to deliver results that benefit the individual citizen. And media must provide quality information that enables proper decisions instead of chasing clicks.”

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