The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, based on almost 34,000 respondents in 28 countries, describes a world sliding into “insularity”. Seven in ten people are unwilling or hesitant to trust others with different values, backgrounds or sources of information. Richard Edelman calls it “the next crisis of trust.”
Where trust remains
Trust has concentrated close to home. “My employer” is the most trusted institution, at 78% among employees, 14 points ahead of business in general (64%) and 25 points ahead of government (53%). Business is the only institution seen globally as both competent and ethical. Trust in “my CEO” stands at 66%, and the CEO was one of the few figures to gain trust this year.
The new expectation
With trust comes a responsibility. Employers are the only institution that a majority believe is meeting its duty to bridge divides. Both insular and open-minded respondents expect employers to broker trust between groups. The pressure inside companies is real: 42% of employees say they would rather switch departments than report to a manager with different values.
What this means for leaders
In an insular world, a company can be one of the last places where people with different views work towards a shared goal. Leaders who build that kind of workplace earn something rare: trust that extends beyond their own circle.
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Photo: Cytonn Photography / Unsplash