Trust in business leaders, employers sinks: 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer

Trust is eroding globally and businesses must navigate carefully to play a critical role in reversing the trend, according to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer released in Davos in January.

Amid fears for the future, rising grievances and economic challenges, public trust is plummeting globally, with rates of mistrust in business leaders and employers jumping sharply and hostile activism on the rise, according to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer.

The annual report reveals that 68 per cent of those surveyed distrust business leaders (up 12 points from last year) and that trust in employers has dropped globally to 75 per cent in 2025. In addition, 68 per cent of people believe business leaders deliberately mislead them.

The report was released in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos by the global communications firm. Edelman CEO Richard Edelman told the forum: “Business is facing backlash from those opposing its role as a catalyst for societal change…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.” 

On average, about half of consumers surveyed say that businesses don’t do enough to address affordability issues and 53 per cent say companies should do more to combat climate change.

How to build trust

Despite this pessimism, most people believe companies can still tackle societal issues – three-quarters say chief executives should address problems if they can make a positive impact, while 71 per cent think they should tackle problems that their companies have caused. “Six per cent want businesses to invest in local communities by providing well-paid jobs and 84.6 per cent favour upskilling employees to ensure a better future for them,” the report says.

“Those with a higher sense of grievance are more likely to believe business is not doing enough to address societal issues. To navigate these expectations, understand where you have obligations, act on behalf of your stakeholders and advocate for your organisation.”

The report urges business, government, media and NGOs to work together to address the root causes of grievance and enable trust, growth and prosperity.

Edelman said society needs to invest in local communities, quality information and job skills — to deliver results that benefit everyone fairly.

Australian findings

In Australia, trust that our employer “will do what is right” dropped by two points from last year’s result, to 74 per cent, a level similar to the US, UK, Sweden, Canada and Argentina.

Respondents felt that elections fail to improve trust, with Australia’s general population reporting a drop from 51 per cent to 49 per cent across government, NGOs, media and business.

Globally, 36 per cent believe that compared to today, the next generation will be better off – more than twice the number in Australia.

The fear globally of being discriminated against rose to a record high of 63 per cent. In Australia, it’s up eight per cent to exactly half.

A majority held moderate or higher grievance feelings in 23 of 26 countries. In Australia, it’s higher at 62 per cent, with resentment directed to business, government and the rich.

• Edelman will release more substantial findings for Australia in a few weeks. We’ll report them all in Membership Update.

Trump, tech and tomorrow

In a panel discussion during the report launch, Nikki Haley, vice-chair of Edelman Global Advisory and a and former US Ambassador to the UN, said President Donald Trump has moved quickly to action change.

She said the US is about to see “a huge economic boom” with lots of investment, a pullback in regulation and more strength in the economy, making this “a good time for businesses to move forward”.

Trump’s second presidential term was driven in part by Americans who “don’t want to be a label anymore”, Haley said, referencing the administration’s contempt for diversity and inclusion programs. People “want companies to tell them what the problems are and allow them to be part of the solutions.”

“They want companies to be very transparent and they want you to over-communicate, because that builds trust with the employee and with the consumer,” she said. “Lean in, be flexible, be transparent. It’s not all doom and gloom.”

Heineken NV CEO and chair Dolf van den Brink warned the report should be a final wake-up call to challenges that have been increasingly apparent for some time. “We better start addressing this systemically,” he said. “When such a large portion of society is anxious, feels disempowered and is pessimistic about the future, that’s very dangerous.”

Van den Brink noted business has a huge role to play in bringing economic optimism back, starting by re-engaging with society. “We need to find our voice and we need to make the case for capitalism. We need to show that it can bring prosperity for the masses, that it will address the environmental side effects and that it can be fair.”

He suggested business role-model how to proceed by investing in future growth, but also by investing in decarbonising our businesses, investing in our people and investing in fair wages. Reskilling employees would be incredibly important to providing meaningful, well-paying middle-class jobs that have come under tremendous pressure over the past two or three decades, he said.

“We need to find a way of creating those jobs — and start by building competence by reskilling our people. Business can’t do it alone. This is the area where business and society need to work together.”

Brad Smith, vice-chair and president of Microsoft Corp, said that looking to the future, demographics would be one of the world’s biggest long-term structural challenges.  “This is an important dimension for technology,” said Smith. “AI offers, I would argue, quite possibly the biggest source of productivity growth since electricity started to spread across many economies.”

Younger generations are now more likely than ever to consider violent action to disrupt society, as distrust of government, media, business and NGOs increases, the report warns. One in two young adults approve of hostile activism as a means of driving change in the behaviour of government, media, business and NGOs, according to the report.

Across all age groups, more than a quarter approve of attacking people online or intentionally spreading disinformation. More than a fifth would threaten or commit violence or damage public or private property.

“Broad-based grievance has consequences,” said Edelman. He noted the survey results confirm that grievance is universal — across gender, income, age groups and race.

“This is a game changer,” he said. “This is not business as usual. This is a highly aggrieved world and it’s global.” Not only is grievance driving hostility, but translating into a huge suspicion of innovation, said Edelman, to the detriment of progress and productivity.

Respondents with greater grievance have more suspicion of artificial intelligence (AI). More grievance erodes trust in business leaders, undermined belief in business competence and ethics. The report found the fear that leaders lie to us was at a record high.

Access the Edelman Trust Barometer 2025 here.

With extra reporting by Elise Shaw.