Excerpts from the Edelman executive summary: The 2014 Edelman Trust Barometer shows the largest ever gap between trust in business and government since we began this study in 2001. This can be attributed to a continued destruction of trust in government that began in 2011, and a steady rise in belief in business since its nadir in 2008. In nearly half of the 27 nations we surveyed, there is a gap of more than 20 points. In a few nations, the divide is as much as 40 points. This is a profound evolution in the landscape of trust from 2009 where business had to partner with government to regain trust, to today, where business must lead the debate for change.
It has generally fallen to government leaders to establish the context for change, to mold public sentiment, then through legislative or regulatory process create the rules of the game. Former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt said a government leader had a “bully pulpit” or an unparalleled platform to educate (note: “bully” in his day meant wonderful or superb).
But today, government lacks the long-term thinking and popular support to keep up with innovation that is cross-border, complex and requiring fundamental rethinking. For example, describing an inconclusive meeting in December between President Obama and CEOs of leading technology companies in the wake of the revelation of widespread global surveillance by the National Security Agency, the New York Times wrote, “Tech Leaders and Obama Find Shared Problem: Fading Public Trust.”
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