Trust crisis in US institutions as Chinese confidence rises, Edelman global poll finds
But the rest of the world still wary about Beijing’s growing role in international governance
The Chinese public have the greatest confidence in their institutions while domestic trust in authorities in the United States crashed by a record margin during US President Donald Trump’s first year in office, according to a major survey released on the eve of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The sharp contrast revealed by the annual Edelman Trust Barometer followed a Gallup poll last week showing more people around the world considered China, rather than the US, a global leader, despite high worldwide disapproval of the Chinese leadership.
The results dovetail with analysts’ assessments that while Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive has reinforced one-party rule and gained popular support at home, the world still has mixed views about China’s growing role in global governance amid Washington’s declining leadership.
The Edelman survey, based on 33,000 respondents, found that overall trust in the four institutions it measures – the government, media, business and non-governmental organisations – plunged more steeply in the US than in any of the 27 other countries surveyed.
Faith in the Chinese government jumped 8 points to 84 per cent, while in the US it fell 14 points to 33 per cent under Trump’s isolationist and “America first” agenda.