According to the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer, Kenyans’ trust in government and businesses decreased in 2017. Compared to the rest of Africa, the percentage of trust in both institutions stands at 61 percent and 73 percent respectively. Additionally, trust in NGOs is at 71 percent while trust in media stands at 80 percent compared to 90 percent in Tanzania.
Alex Scharf Edelman account manager said, “Kenya’s economy is driven by the price of commodities such as oil and minerals. When prices of these essential commodities begin to fluctuate, naturally the trust in businesses starts to dip.”
Scharf also noted the fact that Kenyans quickly moved on from the election period events last year as they worked to make up for the losses they suffered during that period.
“Surprisingly the government is still being trusted which paints a resilient picture of Kenyans who were ready to move on once the elections had passed. People were still being taken care of in regards to healthcare, access to water and infrastructure,” said Ms Scharf.
Trust in non-government organisations (NGOs) increased throughout the continent thanks to the willingness of global entities to put in large amounts of money into African projects.
“We see organisations like USAID focusing a lot on health, agriculture and education, companies like Mastercard partnering with Equity Bank on the Wings to Fly program and the Kenya Red Cross who have made a huge difference in building trust amongst Kenyans,” Ms Scharf stated.
The survey was conducted in 10 African markets with findings showing that 70 percent Africans are of the opinion that businesses should be the drivers of positive change and economic growth. Furthermore, 78 percent of the respondents think that companies that are too involved in their bottom line are likely to fail.
Other findings from the survey indicated that people trust search engines more than owned media, traditional media, online-only media, and social media when it comes to getting information and general news.
Furthermore, interviewees consider technical experts as credible sources at 86 percent while bloggers are the least trusted at 13 percent. Government officials attract 28 percent trust while journalists attract 55 percent trust.
