Trust in governments, business chiefs and media is crumbling amid a perceived mishandling, by leaders, of the coronavirus pandemic and a widespread feeling among ordinary citizens that they are being misled, a global survey has found.
The Edelman Trust Barometer, which for two decades has polled thousands of people on their trust in core institutions, found 57% of people believe government leaders, business chiefs and journalists are spreading falsehoods or exaggerations.
"We have a leadership crisis," Richard Edelman, whose Edelman communications group produces the survey, said at the Reuters Next conference on Wednesday after its release.