Your Guide to Using the 2024 Canadian Trust Barometer Results

Last week we launched the Canadian results of the Edelman Trust Barometer. It was a phenomenal event with an incredible discussion around this year’s theme: Trust and innovation. ?What I love about this event is that we get to see the data and we get to explore how the data can shape the way we work as communicators.

Having worked on Trust events for more than a decade, I know the passion that people have for this research. I also know that while many communicators love to see the insights and how trust in Canada is evolving, they struggle to figure out how to tangibly use the data on a day-to-day basis.

As a result, I’ve pulled together a quick list of the data that got me thinking from this year’s report as well as my take on how you should action these insights in 2024. I’d love to hear what data points resonated with you, so please share your insights and perspectives below!??

1.????? Canadians are looking to business to lead. We’ve seen this as a growing trend in recent years, but it’s a takeaway clearly reinforced in this year’s report. Of the four institutions we look at, Business is the most trusted at 57 per cent, with a gain of 5 points, while Government declined by 2 points to 49 per cent and is now in the distrusting category.

?What does this mean for communicators? ?Business needs to be taking a stand on the issues that are important to your company. Climate change, workplace equity, job reskilling, whatever resonates with your company, you need to be talking. But – as the data shows – it’s not enough just to talk to these issues. You need to understand them through the lens of where your stakeholders are at today. And the data is clear, Canadians are scared. Personal economic concerns around job loss and inflation are combining with existential fears around issues like climate change, hackers, and information war. Effectively engaging stakeholders will require companies to take this current reality into consideration.

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2.????? Canadian believe leaders are lying. While trust in the four key institutions (Business, Government, NGOs, and Media) is holding relatively steady, Canadians are increasingly distrusting of leaders within that system. Sixty per cent of respondents say that they believe government leaders are actively trying to mislead people. The same is true for business leaders (59 per cent) and journalists and reporters (55 per cent). These are all significant 5-7-point gains from 2023.

What does this mean for communicators? In short, you must be ruthlessly accurate. There is no room for fact-washing of any kind. You also need to think about where you are sharing your messaging. In Canada, traditional media remains the most trusted, but search engines are close behind. My theory: people are seeking to personally check the information they are consuming. This hypothesis is validated by the deep-dive information in the Trust in Innovation data which shows that Canadians are using online search the most to get information around new innovations and technologies.

3.????? Innovation solutions don’t guarantee trust. Breakthrough innovations, like gene-based medicine or artificial intelligence (AI) aren’t inherently trusted. High degrees of trust in the sector, in this case Health and Technology, also don’t guarantee trust in a new breakthrough, with a 19-point gap between gene-based medicine and the Health sector and a 34-point gap in trust between AI and the Technology sector. The data also shows that time and exposure to a new innovation doesn’t guarantee trust. Look at GMOs and the Food sector. GMOs were first discovered in the 1970s and became widely available in the 1990s. Today (spoiler alert), most of the foods we consume have GMOs in one form or another, and yet only 28 percent of Canadians trust them. ??

What does this mean for communicators? Trust is earned. Just because you, your company, or your industry thinks something is an incredible breakthrough doesn’t mean Canadians will trust it. Communicating effectively – and listening to Canadians’ questions and concerns – is paramount if you want to build trust. If you look at nothing else in the Trust report, read slide 20. It’s a literal roadmap to building trust in new innovations with specific actions by institution (Business, Government, NGOs, Media). The top action? “Hear our concerns, let us ask questions”.?

4.????? To build trust, you have to make the conversation understandable. For years, we have tracked trust in spokespeople. Over the years, we’ve seen the trust relationship evolve from trust in traditional leaders (government officials, CEOs) to trust in “my neighbours” and “citizens of my country”. Through it all, scientists have remained the most trusted – but their status may be about to wane. This year’s report shows that 41 per cent of respondents don’t believe that scientists know how to communicate with a person like them. We also see that, when seeking information abut a new innovation, Canadians are most likely to trust a person like me (77 per cent) followed closely by a scientist (74 per cent).

What does this mean for communicators? Having conversations that effectively meet stakeholders where they are, in a language that they understand, has never been more important. You also need to think long and hard around the spokespeople you use and the media and/or influencers that you need to engage to build trust. The data also shows that Canadians want to know that you have fully tested a new product/innovation and are being transparent around its pluses and minuses. See point above about being ruthlessly accurate and transparent in your communications.

While not an exhaustive list of takeaways (there is so much to discuss!), I hope these insights help you to implement the results from the Canadian 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer. You can find the full report and a recording of our launch event here: https://www.edelman.ca/trust-barometer/2024-edelman-trust-barometer.