The Edelman Trust Barometer, which has been conducted since 2001, shows that South Africa experienced one of the biggest changes on the overall trust index this year, gaining seven points, but still falls into the general distrusting group. This year 27 countries and 33,000 respondents were surveyed, including more than 1,000 South Africans.

“Given the current economic, social and political climate, it’s encouraging to see that trust has risen in South Africa across institutions,” Edelman Africa CEO Jordan Rittenberry said.

"Business and consumer confidence in South Africa has improved with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s implementation of a turnaround strategy for the South African economy, alongside rectifying maladministration and corruption at state owned enterprises. However, consumers will want to soon see results.”

Rittenberry said the last decade had seen a loss of faith in traditional authority figures and institutions.

"More recently, people have lost confidence in the social platforms that fostered peer-to-peer trust. These forces have led people to shift their trust to the relationships within their control, most notably their employers," he said.

The Edelman Trust Barometer found that more than three in four people in South Africa felt company chief executives should take the lead on change rather than waiting for the government to impose it.

ANA