{"id":614,"slug":"edelman-2025-trust-barometer-7-in-10-leaders-mislead","title":"Edelman 2025 Trust Barometer (n=33,000, 28 countries): 7 in 10 believe government/business/journalists deliberately mislead them","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["measurement","trust-signals"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** Edelman 2025 Trust Barometer (**33,000 respondents, 28 countries**, fieldwork Oct 25-Nov 16 2024): **7 in 10 respondents** believe government officials, business leaders, and journalists deliberately mislead them. 6 in 10 hold *\"moderate to high\"* grievance against government and business. Trust in CEOs among high-grievance respondents is **30% vs 64%** among low-grievance.\n\n**Source:** <https://www.edelman.com/news-awards/2025-edelman-trust-barometer-reveals-high-level-grievance> (January 19, 2025)\n\nThe 2026 Barometer reinforces this with a documented *\"retreat into insular circles of trust\"* and a Health Special Report (16 countries, 16,000+ respondents) finding **7 in 10 people worldwide believe at least one of six widely debunked health claims**. Trust in media to accurately cover health remains **11 points below pre-COVID levels at 46%.**\n\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**The operational implication for Candid client work:** unsourced claims are not neutral — they are **read as adversarial by default in 2026**. Every claim without a name/date/source is processed by a reader who already assumes leaders mislead them. Sourcing is not extra credit; it is the floor.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"trust-project-mirror-8-point-trust-lift","title":"Trust Project / Reach Plc UK: trust in The Mirror jumped 8% after adding Trust Indicators","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"rule-every-objective-claim-sourced-with-confidence-label","title":"RULE: Every objective claim in Candid content carries a named source + date + verbatim quote ≤25 words + confidence label","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"rule-publish-corrections-log-and-retraction-policy","title":"RULE: Publish a public corrections log + retraction policy. A correction without a process change is theater.","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"research-brief-confidence-sources-dated-claims","title":"Research brief: Confidence Levels, Sources, and Dated Claims — why every statement on a credible site should be verifiable (piece 15 of 15)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-22T20:51:26.944Z","updated_at":"2026-05-22T20:51:26.944Z"}