Spain: Trust in times of pandemic

The communications company Edelman has presented its "Trust Barometer Spain 2021", which evaluates the level of trust of the Spanish citizens towards public and private institutions such as companies, governments, NGOs and the media. 

Among the main conclusions of the barometer are the following:

• The confidence index in Spain reaches 45 out of 100 points and has not changed due to the pandemic. Spain continues to be in the quartile of countries with the highest levels of distrust. In other European countries (France, Italy, UK, Germany, Holland...) the confidence index has increased.
• For the first time, companies are the institutions we trust the most, and above all. The business sector (61%) is the most trustworthy, followed by NGOs (57%), governments (53%) and the media (51%). 
• The main reason for distrust is misinformation. The general population distrusts more than the informed population. The overabundance of information is fueling widespread distrust of leaders and social references, and citizens no longer know where or to whom to turn for reliable information. This fact has boosted during the pandemic.
• Trust in all sources of information is at an all-time low. Social networks and search engines are the least trusted, followed by companies' own media and traditional media.
• Spaniards expect business leaders to act, to take the initiative for change and to respond to major social, economic, climate and pandemic challenges. They expect companies to ensure the quality of information, to adopt responsible practices and to become guarantors of information. In a context of information crisis, companies must act and speak out. 81% of Spaniards ask business leaders to speak publicly about social challenges. The biggest opportunity for companies to gain trust is related to protecting the quality of information.