NGOs are the most trusted institutions by Kenyans ahead of businesses, Government and media.
This is according to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer findings for Kenya
From the report 73 percent of Kenyans expressed their trust in the operations of NGOs ahead of 70 percent who expressed confidence in businesses.
Two thirds (65 percent ) of the respondents said they were more likely to disbelieve information offered to them unless shown direct evidence that it was from a trustworthy source.
Overal distrust has become the default for 66 percent of Kenyans surveyed.
“Concerns around misinformation and fake news are at an all-time high for Kenyans, with trust in government and media still significantly lower than the other key institutions,” said Corazon Sefu, Managing Director at Edelman Kenya.
A whoping 81 perecent of those who undertook the survey were concerned about false information and fake news being used as a weapon against opponents.
Kenyans trust in Media and Government also witnessed a significant decline with 81 percent raising concerns.
“While we have noted that trust in government and the media in Kenya is improving, it is still at a marginal rate for such important institutions. Recovering the trust lost will mean following the example set by business and – the most trusted institution – NGOs,” added Sefu.
The greater percentage of Kenyans surveyed believe that the government leaders are purposely trying to mislead people through spreading false information or gross exaggeration; and 76 percent feeling similarly about media.
The survey conducted across 28 markets globally showed that Kenyans were the most economically optimistic, with 91 percent saying they believed their families would be better off financially in the next five years representing 40 points higher than the global average.
In the corporate space tje report revealed that business leaders were increasingly expected to be involved in addressing societal issues related to their industries.
The research showed that 58 percent of Kenyans surveyed “expect CEOs to speak publicly about controversial social and political issues that (they) care about.”
“There’s a fine balance, though, as while leaders in the corporate space are expected to speak out on societal issues, they can’t become too politically involved. As our research has shown, CEOs are expected to inform policy but stay out of politics, with less than a quarter of Kenyan respondents thinking it’s appropriate,” said Sefu.
A great percentage of Kenyans expressed fears of job losses, climate change,cyber attacks and fear of losing freedoms.
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