More SAns trust business above government to heal a divided society - survey

Trust among South Africans is fracturing along income lines amid widespread insularity, according to a study conducted by global strategic communications firm Edelman.

The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer shows that citizens are placing responsibility on business leaders and employers to act as "trust brokers" and help bridge divides across society.

It measures trust across business, government, media, and NGOs.

As economic pressure and uncertainty mount, a more insular mindset takes hold, the researchers say.

While all institutions are expected to help bridge divides, employers and business leaders are seen as best placed to do so.

“When trust is not held consistently, institutions lose their ability to function as shared points of reference, making it harder to build consensus and move forward on issues that require collective alignment... A trust broker helps to create a path for progress and cooperation despite insularity by surfacing common interests and translating their needs, goals, and realities for one another.”

Stephen Grootes interviews Karena Crerar, CEO of Edelman Africa, who reiterates that in their South African study, it's seen that business is the most trusted institution of the four under scrutiny.

"There's a trust responsibility and trust capital that's automatically placed by society on business. People really do see it having a bridging role help deal with some of the fears that seem extremely pervasive in society - the economic uncertainty that's largely remained with us since the COVID pandemic, and then there's global conflict that's happening as well."

"These fears play into societal challenges that people are feeling and as a result dividing them to an extent where they're going, 'who do I trust as a leader to help me feel like I belong; and how can I trust what I hear and see around me?' "

Respondents often referred to "my company" as a measure for trust and positive actions, Edelman says.

They're seeing that employees trust their CEOs to do the right thing, and to help play a key role in society, she goes on.

"This is hopefully a positive trend playing out where leaders within their own businesses are helping to close some of these gaps, promoting a shared identity and culture, building teams with different values - some of the issues that are building the insularity that we're seeing evidence of."

"Now the job is to take that externally so, yes, if you're winnig internally in your business, take some of those learnings and share them."

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