Innovation in Peril – Edelman Trust Barometer 2024
The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer report for The Netherlands highlights a trust imbalance where businesses are seen as more competent and ethical than the government. Concerns about innovation management are prevalent across income, gender, and age groups, with a significant portion of the population believing innovation is mismanaged. There’s notable resistance to innovation, particularly GMO foods, while green energy receives more enthusiasm. The report suggests a need for innovation to be vetted by scientists and ethicists, with a call for transparency, public involvement, and a partnership between business and government to restore trust in innovation.
Competence and Ethical Scores -The Netherlands
This visual above illustrates the competence and ethical scores across four categories (Government, NGOs, Media, and Business) as reported in the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer for The Netherlands. It helps to understand the perceived balance between ethical and competence scores within these sectors, highlighting how businesses are viewed more favorably in both aspects compared to the government, NGOs, and media.
Establishment Leaders
The visual above illustrates the percentage of respondents in The Netherlands who are concerned that establishment leaders (government leaders, business leaders, and journalists/reporters) are not trusted to tell the truth, based on the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer report. Additionally, it shows the change in concern levels from 2023 to 2024 for each group, highlighting an increase in distrust toward government and business leaders, and a slight decrease in concern toward journalists and reporters.
Sectors and Innovation Trust
- Trust in businesses within various sectors and the trust gap when it comes to their innovations were highlighted.
- Trust levels in sectors were as follows:
- Energy: 53%
- Technology: 72%
- Healthcare: 77%
- Food and Beverage: 66%
- However, when it came to innovations, the trust significantly dropped, showcasing a trust gap:
- Green energy (innovation vs sector): +13 points
- Artificial Intelligence: -39 points
- Gene-based medicine: -38 points
- Genetically modified foods: -44 points
These points indicate while sectors may be trusted, their innovations may not necessarily inherit that trust, illustrating a critical gap that needs addressing.
The visual above represents the trust levels in different industry sectors versus the trust in their innovations. It’s evident that while sectors like Healthcare and Technology enjoy relatively high trust levels, the trust significantly drops when it comes to their innovations, such as gene-based medicine and artificial intelligence, respectively. This illustrates a notable trust gap, indicating that high trust in a sector does not automatically translate to trust in its innovations.
The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer for The Netherlands shows that 45% of respondents agree that science has become politicized in the country, and 58% believe that the government and organizations that fund research have too much influence on how science is done:
Technology changing too quickly?
- 65% believe technology is changing too quickly in ways that are not good for people like them, showing a 16 percentage points increase.
- 77% feel our society is changing too quickly and not in ways that benefit people like them, marking a 19 percentage points increase.
The visualization illustrates the perceptions among respondents in The Netherlands regarding the pace of changes in technology and society, based on the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer report. It shows that 65% of respondents believe technology is changing too quickly in ways that are not good for them, with a notable increase of 16 percentage points. Similarly, 77% feel that society is changing too quickly and not in ways that benefit them, with a 19 percentage points increase. These findings highlight significant concerns about the rapid pace of change and its management
Fairness and Impact of Capitalism
- The system is biased in favor of the rich:
- 2024: 83% (+19 percentage points from 2023)
- 2023: 64%
- Capitalism as it exists today does more harm than good in the world:
- 2024: 65% (+13 percentage points from 2023)
- 2023: 52%
The visualization above contrasts the findings against those from 2023, focusing on two critical perceptions: the bias of the system in favor of the rich and the belief that capitalism does more harm than good. In 2024, there was a significant increase in these perceptions, with an 83% agreement that the system is biased towards the rich (up 19 percentage points from 2023) and a 65% agreement that capitalism does more harm than good (up 13 percentage points from 2023). These changes underscore growing concerns about fairness and the impact of capitalism, reflecting a notable shift in public sentiment within just one year.
Technology Innovation Vetted by Scientists
The section of the Edelman Trust Barometer 2024, titled “To Earn My Acceptance, Show Me the Innovation Is Vetted by Scientists and Ethicists” for The Netherlands provides insights into how public acceptance of innovation varies based on the level of confidence that the innovation has been evaluated by scientists and ethicists. While the exact percentages for each category (e.g., resistant, hesitant, comfortable, enthusiastic, passionate) are not explicitly mentioned in the text, it emphasizes the importance of innovations being vetted by experts to gain public trust.
The visualization above represents a conceptual distribution of public acceptance levels towards innovations, based on the confidence that these innovations have been vetted by scientists and ethicists, as highlighted in this section of the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer. This hypothetical distribution illustrates that a significant portion of the public would be more comfortable, enthusiastic, or even passionate about accepting innovations when they are assured of rigorous vetting by experts, underscoring the critical role of scientific and ethical evaluation in fostering public trust in new technologies.
Regulation drives Public’s Adoption
On page 34 of the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer report titled “Confidence in Effective Regulation Drives Adoption,” the focus is on the role of confidence in the effective regulation of innovations and its impact on public acceptance. The report suggests that there is much more acceptance of innovations among those who have high confidence that each innovation is effectively regulated. This section emphasizes the importance of effective regulation in gaining public trust and acceptance for innovations such as green energy, artificial intelligence, gene-based medicine, and genetically modified foods.
The findings indicate a clear relationship between the public’s confidence in effective regulation and their willingness to embrace new technologies and innovations. When people believe that innovations are properly regulated, considering safety, ethical standards, and societal impact, their acceptance significantly increases.
Restoration of trust in technical innovation
On page 37 of the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer report, four key insights regarding the restoration of trust in innovation are highlighted:
- Implementation as Important as Invention: It’s emphasized that mismanaged innovations are just as likely to cause backlash as to advance society. Effective communication about the science behind innovations like AI, vaccines, and green energy, as well as managing their impacts, is crucial for societal advancement.
- Business Must Partner for Change: Trust is highest in businesses to introduce innovation into society, especially when they partner with government. CEOs are urged to safeguard jobs and address emerging ethical concerns, highlighting the importance of corporate responsibility in innovation.
- Science Must Integrate with Society: Although scientists are trusted, they are increasingly under public scrutiny. Building trust in expert recommendations requires explaining the research, engaging in dialogue, and utilizing peer voices as advocates. This suggests a need for a more inclusive approach to scientific communication and policy-making.
- Give Me Control Over My Future: People are more likely to embrace innovations when they feel in control of how these changes affect their lives. This calls for listening to public concerns and being open to questions, indicating a more participatory approach to innovation and its societal integration.
These points collectively underscore the importance of responsible management, transparent communication, and inclusive policies in innovation to rebuild and maintain public trust.