This curious contradiction is one of several interesting findings of the latest Edelman Trust Barometer, an annual global survey of trust among business, media, government and NGOs. Now in its 25th year, the survey identified South Africa as an outlier in one important respect: out of 13 countries that held elections last year, it was one of only two (along with Argentina) that registered increasing confidence in government due to a significant change in government leadership.
In the case of South Africa the higher confidence was linked to a perception of increasingly stability linked to the formation of the Government of National Unity, according to Edelman Africa chief executive Karena Crerar. “The establishment of the Government of National Unity (GNU), a more stable power supply, and a cautious optimism surrounding the capabilities of government and business is likely the reason for this increase in trust,” Crerar says in the report summary.
However Crerar, perhaps prophetically, added a qualifier to her upbeat assessment. She said, ‘It remains to be seen if this upward swing can be maintained in the face of 2025’s global macro-economic and geopolitical challenges.”
With the ink barely dry on the Edelman Barometer, the optimism associated with the GNU does indeed appear to be wearing thin, although possibly less due to geopolitical challenges than to internal GNU ructions.
There were other findings of possibly more interest contained in Edelman report.
First, on the upside, business and NGOs remain the most trusted South African institutions, with significantly higher scores (68% and 63% of survey respondents indicating they trust these two institutions respectively) compared with the media (46%) and government (only 36% even with a notable shift upward since GNU formation).
78% of respondents said they trusted their employer to do what is right.
This result confirms the important role of organisations like our own, able to lobby on behalf of civil society and plug the trust deficit that exists between business and government.
On the downside, the survey results also point towards growing frustration about inequality and the performance of the local economy. A whopping 71% of South Africans (10% higher than the global average) feel aggrieved that the current establishment favours the wealthy, or a select few, at the expense of ordinary citizens.
An even higher percentage (73%) of employed South Africans are concerned about a possible economic recession impacting their job security. Despite modest economic growth last year, local job insecurity remains higher than the global average.
The Edelman Trust Barometer is based on 33 000 respondents across 28 countries; it offers a valuable snapshot of trends and attitudes. While it would be unwise to read too much into a single survey, it would be equally unwise to ignore the obvious signs of a trust deficit at the heart of our society, no matter the flush of optimism around the formation of the GNU.
John Lawson
CEO of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry
