India Slips to Third Place in Trust Barometer; Low-Income Groups Least Trusting

India has slipped to the third position when it comes to people’s trust in the government, businesses, media, and NGOs, according to the latest Edelman Trust Barometer released on Monday. This marks a one-place drop from its previous ranking. The survey marks its 25th year, and it brings out a major gap in the trust levels between different income groups in India. While the high-income population ranks India as the fourth most trusted nation globally after Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and China, the low-income group places India third in terms of trust after China and Indonesia.

The survey indicated that only 65% of the Indian low-income population has faith in the country’s institutions, as compared to 80% of the high-income group. This is in keeping with the trend globally, wherein lower-income groups have far less trust in institutions than their more affluent counterparts.

On a global scale, China tops the list of trust in institutions, followed by Indonesia, while India has been overtaken by these countries despite maintaining a stable score. Globally, the survey found that the trust in government, businesses, media, and NGOs continues to decline, with significant concerns around disinformation, corruption, and inequality.

The survey polled over 33,000 respondents across 28 countries and highlighted a growing global trend of economic fears transforming into widespread grievances. Sixty percent of respondents reported feeling a strong sense of grievance—believing that governments and businesses act in their own narrow interests, leaving ordinary people to struggle while the wealthy benefit.

Moreover, violence and disinformation are increasingly seen as legitimate means of creating change. Joltingly, 63% of respondents, crossing gender lines, age brackets, and socioeconomic divides said that it has become harder to distinguish between reliable news and fake information. That is particularly the case in younger age groups: 53% of 18- to 34-year-olds said they supported hostile activism like online harassment, spreading fake information or engaging in acts of violence.

Institutional leaders worldwide are also facing unprecedented levels of distrust, with an average of 69% of people expressing concerns that government officials, business leaders, and journalists deliberately mislead the public. This has led to a lack of faith in top economies such as Japan (the least trusting at 37%), Germany (41%), the UK (43%), the US (47%), and France (48%).

Interestingly, developing nations like China (77%), Indonesia (76%), India (75%), and the UAE (72%) remain more trusting of institutions than major global economies. “My Employer” remains the most trusted institution globally, despite a three-point drop to 75%.

The survey also revealed growing perceptions that wealthy people are among the problems because 67% stated that the wealthy do not contribute their fair amount of taxes. In addition, 65% said that societal problems are owed to the rich being self-centered. The studies reflect a deep global crisis of confidence. Many report feeling disillusioned and disconnected with their institutions to the point where skepticism, grievances, and even activist radicalism all rise.