In an age of corruption and misinformation, it is perhaps unsurprising that South Africans are more likely to trust their peers, online resources and businesses rather than the government or journalists, as per the Edelman Trust Barometer 2024.
The data reveals that South Africans are most inclined to trust their peers (78%) and scientists (68%) to provide truthful information about new innovations and technologies. They rely more on online searches (72%) and social media (69%) for information about new technologies and innovations than on national and local media.
Four big themes that have emerged in the Edelman Trust Barometer over the last 24 years are:
- 2005: People started wanting to hear more from their peers rather than from the authorities.
- 2016: The massive divide between the highest earners and the lowest earners started becoming more glaringly apparent.
- 2018: business emerged as the most trusted institution. In 2021, in a post-Covid world, business started playing a much bigger role in society.
- 2024: The theme Edelman has identified this year is "innovation in peril" as society confronts innovation increasingly through the use of AI, and technology-led change.
The Edelman SA Trust Barometer shows that 61% of South Africans believe partnerships between business and government can lead to more trustworthy management of technology-led changes, which ultimately will propel progress and growth for the country.
Since 2015, this perception has seen a substantial year-on-year uptick, increasing 26 percentage points in the period -- among the...
