Australians have bucked a worldwide trend by putting their trust in government at an all time high, according to global survey.

Trust in government in Australia gained 17 points in the last 12 months, according to an annual trust and credibility survey by US marketing consultancy firm Edleman – more than business, NGOs and the media.

This compares to an eight point drop in trust in government globally.

Australian government leaders came in as more trusted than journalists, CEOs and religious leaders, the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer shows. Trust in government officials gained 14 points.

National government is also the most trusted source of information in Australia.

“Informed” members of the Australian public showed more trust in government (76 points) than the mass population (58 points).

However business and NGOs are still more trusted than government in Australia, and most Australians believe business should step in where government fails.

Sixty-six per cent said CEOs should step in when government doesn’t fix societal problems and 72 per cent said CEOs should take the lead on change rather than waiting for the government impose change.

Trust falls as world struggles with Covid

Internationally, trust in government tumbled after  a year of “unprecedented disaster and turbulence”,  Edelman says.

The global barometer shows that government was the most trusted institution in May, only to lose its lead six months later as the world struggled to contain Covid-19.

“Business (61 percent) has emerged as the most trusted institution, replacing government (53 percent), which fell substantially since its 11-point surge in our mid-year update last May,” Edelman CEO Richard Edelman said.

Edelman’s survey is based on 30-minute online interviews conducted between October 19 and November 18 last year sampling more than 33,000 respondents.