South Africans trust business and NGOs, but have beef with the rich

South Africans trust businesses and NGOs, but they do not trust the media much, while they have a beef with the government and the rich.

According to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer South Africa: Faith in Government, South Africa shifted upwards cautiously, bucking global trends. Out of 13 surveyed countries that experienced changes in government leadership last year, South Africa is one of only two to see a significant, positive shift in trust.

The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer South Africa Report: Trust and the Crisis of Grievance indicates that the result of the annual survey conducted among tens of thousands of respondents across 28 countries shows that across the globe, elections failed to significantly improve trust in the average of the four main institutions of business, government, media and NGOs between 2024 and 2025.

However, South Africa and Argentina were the only exceptions out of the list of surveyed countries, with South Africa experiencing a 4-point increase in trust over the past year. Business and NGOs remained the most trusted South African institutions, with 68% of respondents trusting business and 63% indicating they trust NGOs.

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Media less trusted, but more people trust government

The media remains less trusted at 46%, while this year’s data showed an increase of 7% in government trust to 36%, a notable shift upward after it suffered in recent years. Karena Crerar, CEO at Edelman Africa, says this increase could be attributed to the establishment of the government of national unity (GNU), which promised to drive inclusive growth, reduce poverty and build a capable, ethical and developmental state.

However, the survey shows that this increase in overall trust across the four main institutions is tempered by concerning findings around high levels of grievance against business, government and the rich, with 71% of South Africans (10% higher than the global average) holding a moderate or high sense of grievance, believing business and government serve only a select few.

They also believe that the actions of business and government favour them, that the system favours the wealthy and that the rich are getting richer.

“The establishment of the GNU, a more stable power supply and cautious optimism surrounding the capabilities of government and business is likely the reason for the increase in trust, but it remains to be seen if this upward swing can be maintained in the face of 2025’s global macro-economic and geopolitical challenges,” Crerar says.

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South Africans still concerned about job security

There was also a steady increase in South African’ concerns about job security. Despite modest economic growth last year, 73% of employed South Africans still cited a looming economic recession as the greatest threat to their job security.

Their job insecurity concerns were higher than the global average, with anxiety around international trade conflicts, foreign competitors and new technologies fuelling these fears.

In addition, only 38% of South Africans believe the next generation will be better off, highlighting a lack of optimism for the future. “The rising cost of living, recent aid cuts to South Africa and the general global economic outlook could see these concerns continuing to increase in the coming year, unless the most trusted stakeholders, such as the private sector and NGOs, collaborate to find new solutions to the country’s economic and unemployment challenges.

“Dozens, if not hundreds, of local business leaders already joined the Business 20 (B20) task teams meant to tackle these exact concerns in the build-up to the G20 summit. We can take comfort in the fact that innovative new solutions will emerge from these task teams over the course of the year,” Crerar says.

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People have beef due to institutional failures of past 25 years

The report’s findings suggest the institutional failures of the last 25 years produced grievances not only in South Africa but across the world that must be tackled directly. As people with high levels of grievances are less likely to trust, businesses, governments, the media and NGOs must work together to address the root causes to earn trust and deliver results that benefit everyone equally.

“Despite these heightened levels of grievance, South Africans still trust their employers, which gives them permission to work towards quelling the fears around job insecurity, building trust by providing quality information and increasing optimism,” Crerar says.

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Other key findings

Other key findings from the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer South Africa Report include:

• Trust their employers: 78% of South Africans trust their employers to do what is right
• Hostile activism: 4 out of 10 South Africans see hostile activism, such as attacking people online, threatening or committing violence, intentionally spreading misinformation, or damaging public property, as a way to drive change
• Concerns about discrimination: 77% of South Africans worry about experiencing prejudice or discrimination, highlighting a pressing societal issue that institutions must address to foster inclusivity and equal opportunity
• Concern about the credibility of news sources: 65% of South Africans say it is becoming harder to tell if news is from a respected media source or an individual trying to deceive them
• Greater grievance means less trust in artificial intelligence (AI): Only 36% of South Africans who indicated they have high levels of grievance said they were comfortable with the use of AI in business, with only 41% of the highly aggrieved saying they trust AI overall.