Trust in Charities and Other Institutions Has Declined, Says a Report

Trust in nonprofits fell in the United States last year, though other institutions experienced steeper declines, according to a new report.

The Edelman Trust Barometer, an annual study looking into how public trust has changed across the world, found that confidence in the government, nonprofits, the media, and business has collapsed.

“The root cause of this fall is the lack of objective facts and rational discourse,” said Richard Edelman, president, in the report.

From 2017 to 2018, Americans’ trust in nonprofits dropped from 58 to 49 percent, but nonprofits maintained the highest score among institutions. Trust in government fell most at 14 points followed by business (10 points) and the media (5 points). The press received the lowest trust score, with only 42 percent of respondents expressing confidence in news organizations.

The report noted the irony of the declines in public trust, given a strong stock market and low unemployment.

“When government is distrusted and media no longer is perceived to serve as its watchdog, both NGOs and business can fill the role of providing reliable information about — and solutions for — the issues that people care about,” according to the report.

Outside the United States, people in China reported the greatest increase in trust over all. They also saw the government as the most likely of all institutions to lead the country to a better future. In the United States, nonprofits led on that score.