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2024 Edelman Trust Barometer Reveals Innovation has Become a New Risk Factor for TrustResearch Exposes Political Fault Lines Around the Acceptance of Innovation NEW YORK, Jan. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals a rift between innovation and society that has become the new factor causing further polarization. Respondents, by nearly a two-to-one margin, feel innovation is being poorly managed; this is true across age groups, income levels, and gender, and in both developed and developing countries people are more likely to say innovation is poorly managed than well managed. Innovations have also become politicized, especially in Western democracies where right leaning individuals are far more likely than those on the left to reject them; the biggest differences between those on the right and left are in the U.S. (41 points), Australia (23 points), Germany (20 points), and Canada (18 points). "Innovation is accelerating and should be a growth enabler, but it will be stymied if business doesn't pay as much attention to acceptance as it does research and development," said Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman. "More than two-thirds of our respondents who say innovation is poorly managed believe society is changing too quickly and not in ways that benefit 'people like me' (69 percent). The mass-class divide, the huge imbalance in trust between business and government and the infodemic have been the forces behind the decline in trust and the rise of polarization. Fear of innovation has now become the fourth log on the populism fire." Business has the best opportunity to reverse this trend because it is the most trusted institution, both in general and when it comes to introducing new innovations into society. But it must focus on explaining the impact of innovation and its net positive for society and not just investors. But it can't act alone. Over the last decade the Trust Barometer has seen a 15-point increase (45 percent to 60 percent) in people saying that if business partners with government, they would trust it more with technology-led changes. Nearly two thirds expect CEOs to manage changes occurring in society, not just those occurring in their business (62 percent), and around 8 in 10 employees say it's important for their CEO to speak publicly about job skills of the future (82 percent), the ethical use of technology (79 percent) and automation's impact on jobs (78 percent). Many believe that science is losing its independence: to Government, funders, and the political process. In the U.S., two thirds believe science has become politicized (67 percent) and in China, three quarters of respondents say that Government and organizations that fund research have too much influence on how science is done (75 percent). When people feel that innovation is poorly managed, they are more likely to say that the system is biased in favor of the rich than those who feel innovation is managed well (82 percent vs 53 percent). This has led to a dispersion of authority, where people view "someone like me" (74 percent) on par with scientists and experts (74 percent) in terms of who they can trust to tell them the truth about new innovations and technologies.
Other key findings from the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer include:
About Edelman Edelman is a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Our 6,000 people in more than 60 offices deliver communications strategies that give our clients the confidence to lead and act with certainty, earning the trust of their stakeholders. Our honors include PRWeek's Global Agency of the Year (2023); PRovoke's Global Agency of the Year (2022); Cannes Lions Grand Prix awards for PR (2016) and the Entertainment Lions for Sport (2021); a Gold Lion in the Brand Experience & Activation category (2023); a Gold Lion in the Sustainable Development Goals category (2022); Cannes Lions Independent Agency of the Year for the Entertainment Track (2021); Cannes Lions Co-Independent Agency of the Year for the Good Track (2022); and Advertising Age's 2019 A-List. Since our founding in 1952, we have remained an independent, family-run business. Edelman owns specialty companies Edelman Data x Intelligence (research, data), Edelman Smithfield (financial communications), Edelman Global Advisory (advisory), and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle). About the Edelman Trust Barometer The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer is the firm's 24th annual trust and credibility survey. The research was produced by the Edelman Trust Institute and consisted of 30-minute online interviews conducted between November 3 and November 22, 2023. The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer online survey sampled more than 32,000 respondents across 28 countries. Published every January, the report covers a range of timely and important societal indicators of trust among business, media, government and NGOs, shaping conversation and setting the agenda for the year ahead. For more information, visit https://www.edelman.com/trust-barometer Contact View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2024-edelman-trust-barometer-reveals-innovation-has-become-a-new-risk-factor-for-trust-302034195.html SOURCE Edelman |