CEOs are expected to act on major societal challenges, with a significant majority of respondents to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer expecting them to take a stand on climate change (84%), the wealth gap (77%), immigration (76%), discrimination (81%) and the treatment of employees (90%). Edelman’s annual Trust Barometer surveys trust levels in four institutions – government, the media, business and NGOs. Now in its twenty-third year, the 2023 edition surveyed over 32,000 respondents in 28 countries including more than 1,000 members of the Irish general public.
The Trust Barometer’s Irish findings show that 73% of employed respondents trust their employer. This rating is more than 20 points higher than business, which at 52% among the general population - a drop of two points on 2022 - is Ireland’s highest ranking institution for trust. Trust in the other institutions also fell when compared to last year. NGOs (51%) are down by four points, trust in government fell two points to 47% and the media fell five points to 40%.
The findings indicate that the five-point trust gap between business and government is considerably lower than the global average of 12 points. It also sits in stark contrast to sentiment in the UK where there is a large 13-point trust gap between the two institutions.
The slender gap in trust between government and business in Ireland points to the need for a partnership approach between these institutions to face down the threats posed by climate change, income inequality, immigration, discrimination and employee treatment. On average, 48% believe progress is more likely to be made on these issues by Government and business partnering rather than both working independently (20%) or alone (Government 16%, Business 8%).
The Ireland edition of the 2023 Trust Barometer shows less economic optimism than before, with just 31% of respondents believing that they and their family will be better off in five years, compared to 42% in 2022. The Ireland data also reveals that 84% of employed respondents are worried about job loss and 70% of the general population are concerned about inflation. Existential concerns also loom large among Irish respondents, with 73% concerned about climate change and 71% worried about nuclear war arising from international conflict, the findings show.
Less than half of Irish respondents (42%) say their country is more divided today than in the past. There is a marked difference in the UK where 65% of UK respondents feel their country is now more divided now than before.
A majority in Ireland are concerned about societal divisions: 54% feel that the lack of civility and mutual respect is the worst they have ever seen, and just over half (51%) are of a view that the social fabric is too weak to act as a foundation for unity and common purpose. A far higher number of those surveyed in the UK - 70% and 66% respectively – say they see a worsened lack of civility today and a social fabric that is too weak for unity.
Irish respondents’ ratings of the country only fall as ‘moderately polarised’ in our analysis, with Irish respondents more likely to believe that the country’s divisions are surmountable. The Irish view contrasts sharply with Edelman Trust Barometer findings in the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, France and Japan, which all show that those countries are at risk of severe polarisation - a situation where divisions are entrenched and it is unlikely that agreement can be reached on key issues and challenges.
