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Employers trusted more than govt and media, says global survey on Covid-19
Communications firm Edelman surveyed 10,000 people in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, the UK and the US
People rely upon the major news outlets, nearly twice as much as global health organizations WHO or social media for information about the Covid-19 pandemic. But when it comes to credible information, people trust their employers more than the government or the news media, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer special survey.
The online survey was conducted in 10 countries: Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, the UK and the US. The firm had surveyed 10,000 people.
About 70 percent said they were following news on the virus on a daily basis and 74 percent expressed concern that there was a lot of fake news and false information being spread about the virus.
The barometer shows that ‘my employer’ is the most trusted institution. Sixty-three percent said that they would believe information from their employers after one or two exposures, versus 58 percent for a government website and 51 percent for traditional media.
“That explains our finding that employer communications is the most credible source of information about the coronavirus,” Richard Edelman, chief executive officer of the global communications firm said in a statement releasing the findings.
The survey also revealed that the young - people in the 18-34 age-group - were more likely to turn to social media for information about coronavirus as compared to other adults. Over one-third of people said they would never believe social media if it were the only place they had seen the information.
There’s also a lack of faith in the country’s preparedness to deal with Covid-19. Except for people from Canada and Germany, the respondents from all the other eight countries think their employer is better prepared to respond effectively and responsibly to the challenge posed by the virus than their country.
In response to a question on the agency that was trusted to respond effectively and responsibly to the coronavirus challenge, employers figure next only to the health authorities.
