In a survey conducted in 27 countries by the global communications agency Edelman, trust in government as an institution dropped in 17 of them. A drop that can be seen, “in an accentuated way, in democratic countries”, according to the general manager of the company in Brazil, Ana Julião.
In Brazil, the drop was five points, from the survey released last year to this year. Of those surveyed, 34% now say they trust the government. In the US, the drop was three points to 39%. In Germany, from 12 to 47%.
At the other end, China recorded a nine-point increase to 91% confidence in the government. And in the United Arab Emirates, rising seven, it reached 87%.
In Brazil, says Julião, “trust in the government institution has been broken, quite significantly, over the last few years, especially in relation to the pandemic”.
Generally speaking, when Covid-19 arrived, “more confidence was placed that governments would take that place, to provide for well-being and security, and governments failed”.
Citing democracies such as the Netherlands and Canada, he adds that “they had a very significant drop as a result of polarization, the fact that half of the country believes in the government that is occupying the leadership and half does not.”
The survey was carried out in November 2021. Asked about the possible impact of the war in Ukraine, the executive says she expects it to further shake confidence levels, “because of the vulnerability, how it will affect the economy, politics”.
As for the media, which in Edelman’s definition also encompasses social networks and search engines, trust dropped in 15 of the 27 countries. In Brazil, it was an oscillation of one point down, registering 47%.
Again, the decline was more pronounced in democracies. In the US, it dropped six points to 39%, while in China it rose ten points to 90%. Julião underlines the negative situation in “countries where this environment of polarization is significant”, as in the American case.
A growing polarization, he adds. “In Brazil, specifically this year, with the elections, the forecast is for turmoil. A scenario of great tension.”
The Edelman Trust Barometer 2022 is the 22nd edition of the annual study. It involved 30-minute online interviews with around 1,150 people in each of the countries.
