Global government trust survey: China rises, US falls

　　[Global Times reporter Ding Yuqing] A global survey found that under the epidemic, with people generally pessimistic about the economy, public trust in the governments of Western countries such as the United States has dropped to a new low.

At the same time, surveys show that Chinese people's trust in the government has shown a clear upward trend.

　　The survey, called the Edelman Trust Barometer, is the 22nd year that Edelman International has released the survey.

The company conducted a survey of more than 36,000 people in 28 countries from November 1 to 24 last year, and obtained a comprehensive index of trust by assessing people's trust in the country's government, media, businesses and NGOs.

The biggest drop in the composite index of trust last year was in Germany, where trust received fell by 7 percentage points to 46%.

In addition, the composite index of trust in Australia and the Netherlands both fell by 6 percentage points, to 53% and 57%, respectively, and the figures in South Korea and the United States both fell by 5 percentage points, to 42% and 43%, respectively.

　　In contrast, China's composite trust index is as high as 83%, an increase of 11 percentage points year-on-year.

The survey results show that the gap in the composite index of trust between China and the United States has reached the largest since the survey was conducted.

From a single point of view, the Chinese people's trust in the government last year rose by 9% from the previous year to 91%, the highest level in a decade, while the American people's trust in the government fell by 3% to 39%.

　　Reuters reported on the 18th that the survey also found that although the world's richest country spent trillions of dollars to support its economy during the epidemic, such measures failed to instill lasting confidence in its people.

In Japan, only 15 percent of people think they and their families will be better off in five years, compared with 20 to 40 percent in most other Western countries.

But in China, nearly two-thirds of respondents are optimistic about the economic outlook, and 80 percent of Indians think they will be better off in five years.

　　Richard Edelman, global president of Edelman International Public Relations, said that higher public trust in China is not only related to economic feelings, but also to the more predictable Chinese policies, especially epidemic prevention measures.

"I think there is consistency between what (Chinese government agencies) say and do...they've been in better shape than the U.S.," he said.

According to reports, the survey also found that people's fear of "fake news" reached a new high, with three-quarters of global respondents worried that such disinformation is being "used as a weapon".

Among the fears from all walks of life, climate change is now the biggest worry after unemployment.