Non-Government Organisations are the most trusted institutions in all of Africa. The trust level for NGOs is a high 87% in Tanzania, 83% in Ghana and 81% in Nigeria. People want to be able to trust other people, institutions and governments.
“A good reputation may get me to try a product; but unless I come to trust the company behind the product, I will soon stop buying it regardless of its reputation.”Trust matters to Nigerians so much that a top 72 percent agrees with the statement above.
Research shows that Nigerians trust each other more than they believe governments, institutions or celebrities. “A person like yourself” is the one Nigerians trust the most at 69%. Next are Board of Directors, 63%; Religious Leaders, 62; NGO Representative, 61 and Journalist, 61.
Others in descending order are CEO; Academic; Successful entrepreneur; and technical expert. Scoring below 50% is the following: industry analyst; an online personality; blogger; government official and a celebrity.
The score for celebrities, bloggers and online personalities would ruffle assumptions in the marketing communications industry where endorsements became a significant arsenal in the marketing toolbox recently based on assumptions. The data says celebrities and such-like do not sway Nigerians.
Trust or the growing distrust in government and institutions is the concern of the day across the world. The trust deficit is a significant challenge for the Federal Government in the wake of its continuing failure to keep promises. The trust challenge gets worse with each massacre in the embattled North East of Nigeria or with each new scheme to appropriate lands and water resources across the country under varying guises each time.
Trust is the focus of the major yearly research into attitudes, beliefs and behaviours across the world. It added Nigeria into the countries of the survey in 2017. The Edelman Trust Barometer has interviewed people online in 28 countries in the last ten years. It reports that “The Battle for Truth” is the critical trust issue in the world in 2018. It carried out its research between October 28 and November 20, 2017.
It interviewed 1,150 respondents in each country representing the general public and 200 persons serving the informed public. Persons in the “informed public” fit the profile of ages 25-64; university-educated; in top 25% of household income per age and report significant media consumption and engagement in business news.
I examine the findings of this survey here as a basis for further discussions on issues around trust, credibility and relationships in our land.
As with the rest of Africa, NGOs and media rank highest in trust in Nigeria, followed by business. Trust for NGOs is at 81%, while it is at 78% for media. Government is the least trusted, but still comes in at 60% trust level.
The trust in media and other institutions is higher in Nigeria and Africa than the rest of the world. The issue of the moment globally is the challenge of fake news. The media faces a paradox. While there is declining trust in the media, trust in journalists is growing. The public does not differentiate between content and platforms. People define media as both the content and the platforms conveying that content.
Across the world, 50% of the survey population still engages with the news. Of these, 25% report active engagement in what the media do.
Trust is critical for the four institutions of society, to wit, government, business, media and NGOs. Trust is the license to operate. For companies globally, trust is a significant barometer. Eighty-eightpercent of people chose to buy products and services of trusted companies; 80% would recommend them to friends and colleagues; 58% shared positive opinions on trusted firms. Most significantly, 55% would pay more for goods and services of trusted firms,and the same percentage would defend such companies.
Nigerians invest much expectation in business. “Driving the economic prosperity of our country is one of the most important things businesses should do”, the report cites 57% of respondents saying. They also believe businesses must be socially responsible. Up to 87% of respondents assert that “Companies that only think about themselves and their profits are bound to fail.”
Nigerians have distinct messages and tasks for CEOs. They believe that CEOs must build trust; communicate regularly with clients and customers; ensure their products and services are of high quality and communicate regularly with employees.
Most trusted sectors globally are technology, healthcare, energy, food and beverage and telecommunications. For Nigerians, the top five industries in the trust ranking are food and beverage, fashion, manufacturing, automotive and retail.
Respondents outline these “trust-building mandates” for each institution. The government must “drive economic prosperity, investigate corruption and support the poor”. For business, the tasks are to safeguard privacy, drive economic prosperity and provide jobs and training. NGOs must support the poor call out abuses of power and create a sense of community. Finally, the media must guard information quality, educate, inform and entertain and safeguard privacy.
