Consumer trust in business organisations and institutions including the media and politicians has gone into freefall in recent years – with older people now among the most disaffected, according to a report commissioned by the Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC).

As a result, the Academy is launching a new initiative that examines trust as a dimension in leadership, based on work by leading academic John Blakey.

Blakey’s work and exclusive Omnibus polling of have identified a “trust vacuum” among the public, finding that 41.7 per cent of people have lost trust in institutions, (57 per cent of people over the age of 55) and with only 2 per cent saying their levels of trust have improved. Conversely, people under 25 appear to be less cynical, with over a third saying they have more trust in these institutions than they had previously.

Gina Lodge, CEO of the AoEC, said: “Without question our polling indicates that we are seeing a crisis in trust across many sections of society. Many of our institutions have been rocked by scandals in recent years and we have seen many familiar names disappear from our high streets. It is crucial for business leaders and politicians to address this problem and rebuild trust.”

The report found significant distrust of the media, with people generally more likely to believe what they read online compared to what they read in a newspaper. Broadcast media was the most trusted source of information across all age groups apart from those under 25, who viewed online and broadcast media as equally reliable.

High street and online retailers, local councils and banks also scored above the halfway mark for the public in terms of trust, whilst utilities companies, credit card companies, insurance companies and sports organisations all scored badly, joining politicians and print media in being generally distrusted.

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