Optimism for Future Generations Collapses Globally
NEW YORK, Jan. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals grievance has devolved into insularity. Seven in 10 respondents report unwillingness or hesitance to trust someone with different values, approaches to social issues, backgrounds, or information sources. This insularity is highest in developed markets, including Japan (90 percent) and Germany (81 percent). It is also higher than the global average in the UK (76 percent) and Canada (73 percent), and on par with the global average in the U.S. (70 percent). Insularity cuts across income, gender, and age, and affects both developing and developed markets.
What’s Driving Insularity
Four forces are fueling the rise of insularity. First is all-time high levels of Economic Anxiety: two-thirds of employees worry that trade policies and tariffs will hurt their employer. Additionally, 54 percent of low-income and 44 percent of middle-income respondents believe they will be left behind rather than realize any real advantages from generative AI. Second is a Collapse in Optimism: only 32 percent of respondents believe that the next generation will be better off, with lows in France (6 percent), Germany (8 percent, down 6 points), Canada (16 percent) and the U.S. (21 percent, down 9 points). Third is Eroding Institutional Trust: low-income respondents see institutions, on average, 18 points less competent than high income respondents and 15 points less ethical. Globally, business remains the only institution seen as both ethical and competent. Fourth is the Information Crisis: 65 percent worry that foreign actors are injecting falsehoods into national media to inflame domestic divisions, while only 39 percent get news from ideologically different sources on at least a weekly basis.
Next Crisis of Trust
“Insularity has emerged as the next crisis of trust,” said Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman. “Over the past five years, we have seen a descent from fear to polarization to grievance and now to insularity. People are retreating from dialogue and compromise, choosing the safety of the familiar over the perceived risk of change. We favor nationalism over global connection and individual gain over joint progress. Our mentality has shifted from ‘we’ to ‘me.’ As a result, trust is increasingly concentrated among those closest to us, including My CEO (66 percent), My fellow citizens (64 percent) and My neighbors (64 percent), while nearly 7 in 10 fear institutional leaders are deliberately misleading the public.”
The Consequences for Business
Rising insularity has fueled nationalism, making it harder for multinationals to compete against local competitors. Trust in companies headquartered in “my country” far exceeds average trust in foreign companies, with the widest gaps in Canada (31 points), Japan (29 points), and Germany (29 points). More than one-third of respondents want fewer foreign companies operating in their home market, even at the cost of higher prices and less choice. Four in 10 (42%) are unwilling to invest in companies that do not share their values. Forty-two percent of employees say they would rather switch departments than report to a manager with different values.
My Employer as Lead Trust Broker
To combat insularity, My Employer is best positioned to broker trust by bridging divides and rebuilding trust, as the only institution to have majority agreement that it is meeting the mandate to do so. As the most trusted institution, My Employer (78 percent trust among employees) — 14 points ahead of business (64 percent trust among the general population) and 25 points ahead of government (53 percent) — is expected to broker trust between distrustful groups by those with both insular (74 percent) and open (84 percent) mindsets. The CEO is expected to lead (73 percent) this process, with publicly endorsed strategies that include consulting people with different values and backgrounds when making decisions (75 percent) and constructively engaging with employees who criticize the company (74 percent). Company employees such as direct supervisors and co-workers, along with familiar local voices like doctors and pastors, can also play critical trust-brokering roles.
Other key findings from the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer include:
About the Edelman Trust Barometer
The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer is the firm’s 26annual trust survey. The research was produced by the Edelman Trust Institute and consists of 30-minute online interviews conducted between October 23 and November 18, 2025. The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer surveyed nearly 34,000 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.
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