India among top three countries where trust in government remains high

Why in News?

• The annual Global Trust Index has been recently released by communications marketing firm- Edelman in Davo.

Global Trust Index

• The Edelman survey offers an annual snapshot of a country's trust in its four main institutions that is people trust in:

1. Government
2. NGO
3. Business
4. Media

• The 2018 Edelman TRUST BAROMETER reveals a world of seemingly stagnant distrust. People’s trust remained largely unchanged from 2017.
• 20 of 28 countries surveyed, now lie in distruster territory, up one from last year.

India’s position

• India continued to be among the top three nations where trust in government remains high.
• India is also in the trust zone as far as how the public see business, media and NGOs. 
• Though its position slipped to number three this year from first last year, its rating remains at 'trust level' with Indonesia and China ahead of it.

Welcome News

• Government took tough reforms like demonetisation and implementation of GST.
• Even after these, the overall high trust rating is welcome news for the Indian government.

Trust issue

• A worry for India is the perception outside the country that its businesses could not be fully trusted. 
• It scored low on this parameter, pointing to the need to make contracts and arbitration more reliable. 

Global Scenario

• The report showed that companies headquartered in Canada, Switzerland, Sweden and Australia is most trusted. 
• The least trusted country brands are headquartered in Mexico, India, Brazil and China.

China’s position:

• China has gained strongly and jumped to the top position.
• China's climb could be linked to the view in the country that it has gained at the expense of a US "withdrawal" from the Asia-Pacific in trade and security.

US position:

• US has reported the steepest decline in public trust in its institutions. 
• The index report revealed that trust in the US has suffered the largest-ever-recorded drop in the survey's history among the general population. 
• Trust among the general population fell nine points to 43, placing it in the lower quarter of the 28-country trust index. 
• The collapse of trust in the US is driven by a staggering lack of faith in government.