A REPORT suggesting people trust their employer more than they trust government or the media provides an opportunity for local businesses, it is claimed.

The 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer found 73 per cent of people in the UK trusted “my employer” to do what was right.

Globally, three quarters trusted their employer, compared with 48 per cent who trusted the government, 47 per cent the media, 56 per cent business and 57 per cent non-governmental organisations.

Mark Masters, of Poole content marketing consultancy the ID Group, said businesses who created meaningful online content for an engaged audience would be the ones who built a solid reputation.

Mr Masters, who is organising the Daily Echo-backed You Are the Media Conference on May 23, said: “The majority of the report does make bleak reading. Political and economic fragility is having a massive impact on how people look to the future and their relationships with others. However, there are some key themes.

“The first is a responsibility for what businesses say and do. Never before have we been in a stronger place, where the shift is from broadcasting how great your business is to the responsibility you have.

“People are looking at their employers to lead.

“As we come to the end of the decade, there is a shift from the investment and time in how something looks – i.e. the rebrand, the logo, the brand guidelines, the new website – to being recognised as a trustworthy source of information.”

The second theme was the “rise of the normal”, with people trusting regular employees of an organisation rather than just academic and technical experts.

The report found a 16 per cent gap between “the more trusting informed public and the far more sceptical mass population”.

Mr Masters said it pointed to a “deeply divided” UK but added: “People are looking out to others to reach out to and feel a part of. Businesses can achieve this by having responsibility and having meaning in someone else’s life.

“This isn’t about finding a way to shoehorn product into any message, but show true worth and ways for others to see that you do care, show authority and do it with integrity.”

Global PR and marketing consultancy Edelman surveyed more than 33,000 respondents in 27 countries for its report. Its barometer has provided a global measurement of trust since 2001.