Overview
- Seven in 10 respondents say they are unwilling or hesitant to trust people with different values or information sources, with insularity highest in developed markets such as Japan (90%) and Germany (81%).
- Only 32% believe the next generation will be better off, with especially low optimism in France (6%), Germany (8%), Canada (16%), and the United States (21%).
- An information crisis is intensifying, as 65% worry about foreign actors injecting falsehoods into national media and only 39% seek news from ideologically different sources weekly.
- For the first time in the survey, business is viewed as more ethical than NGOs, and ‘My Employer’ is the most trusted institution with 78% trust among employees, with CEOs expected to lead bridge‑building.
- The mass–class trust gap has widened to 15 points globally since 2012, developed economies sit at the bottom of the Trust Index, and many favor domestic firms over foreign companies despite potential higher prices and fewer choices.