If you work in comms, chances are you refer to the Edelman Trust Barometer. If not, you should. It includes very useful data on who the general population trusts, from institutions to individuals. Want to know why you shouldn’t always put your organisation’s Chief Exec forward to give a statement in a crisis? Read their annual report.

Two people I respect highly write often about Edelman’s work, and they are well worth a read. As an example, Dan Slee refers to the data in his blog post on the comms techniques of the general election of last year, and Rachel Miller wrote about how comms pros use the barometer earlier this year.

The Edelman 2020 figures were updated in Spring this year, taking into account the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, and looks at data from across 11 countries including the UK, US, France, Germany, and Japan, with a focus on the UK.

Perhaps surprisingly, they reported a double-digit rise in trust in government in the UK. It remains to be seen whether this upward shift continued as the pandemic has wore on.

Concerns over fake news in the UK appear not to be as prevalent as for other countries.

Backing this up, further data emphasised the vital role of media during the pandemic. Interestingly, when we have seen a shift towards the public relying more on social media as their source for news, Edelman reported that a trust in news sources is at an all-time high, with the greatest trust gains for traditional and owned media.

As someone who worked in local government communications - including as a Head of Comms - for 18 years, I was dismayed, but not that surprised, in the lack of trust given to local government leaders in terms of leading the UKs economic recovery.

Read more on the updated findings on the Edelman website.