According to the 2015 Edelman Trust Barometer, 80 percent of people surveyed in 27 markets around the world distrust their governments, businesses or both. Taking a closer look at several of the key countries surveyed, distrust is dominant in Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
The picture is more positive when it comes to developing nations - both India and China have trust levels of 82 percent in their governments. However, given the events of 2014, falling trust levels across the world should come as little surprise. Those 12 months included the largest outbreak of ebola in history, Russia's annexation of Crimea and two mysterious catastrophies for Malaysia Airlines.
Interestingly, more people in the United States place their trust in business before the government. The gap is fairly wide too - a 60 percent trust level in business as opposed to the government's 41 percent. In Russia, just over half of people surveyed trust the government - 54 percent. This is still higher than the country's business sector, however, which is trusted by 45 percent of people.
In austerity-ravaged Spain, just over a quarter of people have any form of trust in the government, somewhat unsurprisingly. Respondents were still more optimistic about business but it still comes in at an unimpressive 43 percent.
*Click below to enlarge (charted by Statista)
