Public Confidence in Nonprofit Groups Is on the Rise in America, Survey Finds

Affluent, college-educated Americans have more faith in nonprofit groups than they do in government, business, or

news organizations, according to a new survey by the Edelman public-relations company in New York and Chicago. The survey also found that such people have grown more confident about the work of nonprofit groups in recent years.

The Edelman “trust barometer” survey, conducted annually since 2001 and based on phone interviews, gauges public attitudes toward institutions in the United States and seven other countries. Survey participants — screened to include only those with college degrees and annual incomes above $75,000 — were asked how much they trusted an institution to “do what is right.” They were then instructed to respond using a nine-point scale, with one meaning “do not trust them at all” and nine meaning “trust them a great deal.”

Nonprofit organizations, as a general category, received a six or higher from 55 percent of U.S. respondents, up from 36 percent in 2001 and 49 percent in 2003. In contrast, only 44 percent scored government agencies at six or above, and news organizations received such a score only 32 percent of the time.

Brazil Highest

Internationally, the survey showed that people in Brazil have the greatest level of trust in nonprofit organizations, with 65 percent of those surveyed giving the category a trust rank of six or above. China showed the least trust in nonprofit groups, with only 36 percent of those surveyed giving them such a ranking.

Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Oxfam, and the World Wildlife Fund were the specific nonprofit organizations the survey asked participants to score for trustworthiness, and all have seen their trust numbers increase in the United States. Amnesty International received the highest score among nonprofit groups from U.S. participants, with 55 percent giving them a six or better (up from 36 percent in 2001).

Both Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund were given scores of six or higher by 53 percent of the people (up from 40 percent and 46 percent in 2001 respectively). Edelman reported that 15 percent or more of those surveyed in the United States were unfamiliar with Oxfam, and so its trust numbers — while showing an increase — were less conclusive.

Europeans gave these organizations even higher trust ratings, ranking them among the most trusted of the 28 corporations and charities on the survey. In the United States, several companies did better than nonprofit organizations, including Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, and the United Parcel Service.

Charities are now “rivaling the credibility of revered corporate brands and filling a trust vacuum in both the U.S. and Europe,” says Derek Creevy, senior vice president and director of marketing at Edelman.

The survey also asked people to choose their top two choices from six types of corporate behavior that could increase levels of trust. “Corporate philanthropy” topped the list in the United States, followed by a willingness to consider changes in the way a company does business and “listening to stakeholders.” In Germany and Britain, corporate giving was at the bottom of the list of factors that influence trust in corporations.

A summary of the “2005 Edelman Trust Barometer” is available online at http://www.edelman.com. A free copy of the complete survey may be obtained by calling Edelman at (212) 819-4834.

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