Underlying trends can be hard to map which is why the Edelman Trust Barometer is such a useful document. Simply, it looks at who UK people trust and the answer can often be ‘not the public sector.’ In this blog post Nicola Todhunter sets out five key pieces of learning you absolutely need to reflect on.
Each year, the Edelman Trust Barometer delves into public attitudes towards the media, business, NGOs, and government. It’s an annual, global survey of 33,000+ people. It’s by no means perfect, and we shouldn’t take it as gospel. (It’s run by the world’s biggest PR firm, with some ethical quandaries and questions.)
But it remains a thought-provoking read. It offers a clear breakdown of detailed data. It’s full of insights that we can make practical use of (and a respected source to back us up when we need it).
Here are my five takeaways for public sector communicators from the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer UK report.
Five takeaways
People are finding it harder to know who to trust
More than ever believe that leaders are intentionally misleading them. And most people still feel it’s hard to tell whether news is from a reputable source. This hasn’t changed since 2021.
People increasingly feel that the media is driven by attracting a large audience or pushing a particular ideology, rather than informing the public of things they need to know. Of course, in our polarised world, people often mean very different things by ‘what they need to know’.
In fact, people in the UK don’t have trust in any type of media. Feelings are merely ‘neutral’ towards search engines and traditional media. There’s significant distrust of social media and ‘owned media’ such as companies’ own websites, newsletters, etc.
We need to work with the traditional media to help them rebuild trust. We can offer unique opportunities to cover the things that matter to local people.
We can provide spokespeople that their audience will sit up and listen to. Scientists are far and away seen as the most trustworthy group, trusted by 76 per cent of people. I think it’s a fairly safe assumption to extend that to clinical professionals like nurses and doctors. No prizes for guessing that government leaders and journalists bring up the rear, trusted by only 34 per cent.
With a high turnover of reporters who are often under a lot of pressure, it can be tough to build relationships and help reporters fully understand what large, complex organisations and systems actually do. But we must keep trying – when it pays off, everybody wins.
And we need to ensure that people know they can turn to our channels for reliable information. That means using trusted voices like scientists and people who our audience can identify with. Everything we share must be accurate and clear.
Younger people are willing to try more extreme tactics to change things
The majority of young adults – 6 in 10 people aged 18-34 – approve of ‘hostile activism’. That’s things like attacking people online, threatening violence, or damaging property.
We’re likely to see the impact of this online and in person. Expect even more online hate targeted at organisational accounts. Online campaigns may spill over into vandalism of our sites. Forewarned is forearmed.
People feel angry and cynical, and it’s ‘us’ versus ‘them’
Most people – 70 per cent – feel a moderate or high level of grievance against businesses and the government.
Among this group, most people felt that that anything that benefits other groups who don’t share their politics must come at a direct cost to them. A large part of society is starting to see things as a ‘zero-sum game’.
We are going to need to make it clear to people how initiatives and changes will make things better for them specifically. We can’t rely on a warm and fuzzy understanding that ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’.
People’s high level of trust in their own organisation’s CEO has stood out in the last few Barometer surveys. And although it has decreased, it’s still up there
Internal communications are still a trusted and influential source of information. Don’t underestimate that. We need to make sure leaders understand this, and think carefully about how to use this influence. We cannot take people’s trust for granted.
The Edelman Barometer survey isn’t all doom and gloom
It also helps us to understand what is needed to try and reverse these trends. Two things stand out.
To regain trust, leaders need to show that they genuinely understand what people want and need. And they must show how they are taking real action to change things for the better.
Our communications need to reflect this. The words we use can sometimes put up walls. Instead, we can help leaders to understand the importance of talking to people in clear language, which they can understand and relate to. We must focus on showing, not just telling, and words which are backed up by actions.
The full 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer UK report is here.
Nicola Todhunter is a communications specialist in the NHS.