The government remains the most trusted institution in Singapore compared to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), businesses and the media, according to a survey carried out by public relations firm Edelman.

77 per cent of Singaporeans trust the government to do what is right, compared to 66 per cent for NGOs, 63 per cent for businesses, and 60 per cent for the media.

In addition, the level of trust in the government went up by one per cent from 2023.

Overall the trust index of Singapore was 67 per cent, compared to 66 per cent for 2023.

These were the findings of the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer report, which was carried out among more than 32,000 respondents from 28 countries, with about 1,150 respondents per country, including in Singapore.

Despite high trust, more Singaporeans worry about being misled

However, the survey also found that despite such high levels of trust, 46 per cent of Singaporeans worry government leaders are trying to intentionally mislead them by saying "false or gross exaggerations".

This is an increase of 4 per cent, from 42 per cent in 2023.

More than half of Singaporeans, at 55 per cent, also voiced the same worry with regard to business leaders.

55 per cent of Singaporeans had this worry for journalists and reporters as well.

This is an increase of 5 per cent for business leaders, from 50 per cent, and 7 per cent for journalists and reporters, from 48 per cent in 2023.

Such figures are still below the global average however.

The global figures show that 63 per cent of respondents express such a worry for government leaders, 61 per cent for business leaders, and 64 per cent for journalists and reporters.

Majority of Singaporeans concerned about government's influence in science

The survey further found that a majority of Singaporeans, at 57 per cent, are concerned that the government and organisations that fund research have too much influence on how science is done, compared to 59 per cent globally.

Slightly less than half of Singaporeans at 48 per cent also felt that science has become politicised, compared to 53 per cent globally.

As for the regulation of emerging technology, 50 per cent of Singaporeans think government regulators lack adequate understanding of emerging technologies to regulate them effectively.

In comparison, this figure stands at 59 per cent globally.

Edelman Singapore CEO: "Ecosystem of trust" present in Singapore but people are wary

In response to queries by Mothership, the Chief Executive Officer of Edelman Singapore, Julia Wei, said that an "enduring and stable ecosystem of trust" has developed in Singapore following the Covid-19 pandemic.

This suggests that Singaporeans are confident that the government, NGOs, businesses and media will do what is right even during challenging times.

However, despite this "ecosystem", people in Singapore are wary of what they see and hear, Wei added.

"This scepticism could be a negative outcome of an increasingly polarised world, where traditionally trusted spokespersons and sources of information are viewed as partisan and biased," she said.

Top photo by Swapnil Bapat via Unsplash