In COVID times, people trust companies more than governments

Edelman has published a new Trust Barometer. From a sample of more than 33,000 respondents in 28 countries, Edelman once again discovered what and whom people trust. This time, of course, through the lens of the pandemic that hit us last year. So let’s take a look at what’s changed and whether the new findings apply to Slovakia as well. 

The survey shows that last spring, when the virus was spreading across the globe, political leaders had a truly unique opportunity. Their trustworthiness was at an all-time high. People not only expected but also trusted that political leaders had a plan to help get us through COVID quickly. If they managed to handle it well, they would have voters ‘locked in’ and easily win re-election for years to come. But it seems they had one shot and blew it, losing their constituents’ confidence in the process (except for maybe the leaders of New Zealand, Singapore, Iceland, and a few other shining examples).

In their defence, they’ve been facing a truly unprecedented situation, which only now uncovered problems that had been gathering dust for years, both in Slovakia and other countries. However, this in no way downplays the seriousness of the situation we’re facing.

In May, people’s trust in politicians was at its peak

What the politicians lost, the private sector was able to gain. And it was companies that people ended up rating as the most trustworthy. This was followed by NGOs and then governments, but the people were most skeptical about the media.

The pandemic has been widely fueling conspiracy theories, which has likely impacted the media’s credibility. It’s really hard to navigate one’s way through chaos and mounting pressure for information. But it seems that it was the companies who were able to provide people with the greatest level of certainty, and today people consider them to be not only the only competent institution out of the four they rated, but also the only ethical one.

The trust barometer gives us figures but not reasons. So here’s our interpretation:

• During the pandemic, people have had much higher expectations from politicians than from companies. After all, it is our government, the highest authority, the last resort. People are all the more disappointed when they see these expectations not being met. In this respect, companies had it easier.
• Unfortunately, many people lost their jobs due to the pandemic. But the companies that didn’t lay their people off, or that found ways to support their employees, communicated transparently and earned brownie points by creating a safe working environment, allowing people to work from home, and paying for COVID tests, etc. And they’ll go back to them in the future.
• It was private companies and their leaders who raised the flag to fight the virus and achieved noticeable results. In the beginning, these were companies that began producing missing materials such as face masks and disinfectants. Business leaders created and supported initiatives to provide urgent assistance – such as Kto pomôže Slovensku (Who will help Slovakia). And thanks to private companies, we have various types of tests (including Slovak ones) and soon a third approved vaccine.
• This year, we saw perhaps a thousand different creative paths around the world that companies have found to help different groups and present themselves in a good light. Software releasedfor teachers, students, and people in home office; food and drinks for people in the front line; a sponsored cultural programme for lockdowns spent at home, or even a free premium porn subscription.
• The business sector has been, fortunately, much more flexible in dealing with the pandemic than the state. In 2020, we witnessed digitisation skyrocket. What was supposed to take years happened over the course of just a few weeks. And let’s say this is perhaps one of the few positive things that ‘the virus’ has brought us.

So much for the Trust Barometer, which holds a mirror up to the labour market in the past year. However, we weren’t able to outsmart COVID in 2020. We’ll see what happens next. Perhaps the last and most important stage is coming – vaccination. If we handle it well, the pandemic could come to an end fairly quickly and we can return back to ‘normal’. If we don’t, then the loss of trust will continue.

Our recommendations:

• We can all be influencers. We need to drown out the voices of conspiracy theorists and take a leading role for a change. Verify the information you read and only share content from trusted sources. Let your circle of friends know you’re getting vaccinated. Only you can convince your skeptical loved ones. Maybe you’ll be surprised how many like you are out there.
• It’s time for companies and their bosses to take a stand against anti-vaxxers. And not just publicly, but especially in internal communication with their employees. There are so many possibilities. Leaders can talk about their vaccinations and lead by example, employers can provide advice to people who have questions and concerns. They can devise internal motivational programmes (such as a day off from work to get the vaccine like when donating blood).
• We need a clear plan and understandable communication from the government. In addition to vaccines and vaccination centres, we need to see that vaccination is working and that the rules apply to everyone. We also need to see that we will be vaccinated on time and safely. We need to reach a point where vaccination is talked about in a positive light and where people want to take part in it. Without throwing a fit over it. If the politicians succeed, they can regain the trust they’ve lost.

Read the full report on the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer here.