Do People Trust The Media Or Government More?

Trust in institutions shapes how societies function—from whether people follow public health guidance to whether they believe election results. Yet confidence in governments and the media has diverged sharply across countries.

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist's Niccolo Conte, shows whether people trust the media or the government more, based on responses from nearly 34,000 people across dozens of countries.

The data comes from the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer. Respondents were asked whether they trust the government and the media to “do what is right.”

High Government Trust in the Middle East and Asia

Countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, China, and Singapore show higher trust in government than in media.

Saudi Arabia tops the list, with an 89% government trust score compared to 66% for media—a 23-point gap.

Media Trusted More in Many Western Democracies

In much of Europe and the Americas, trust tilts toward the media rather than the government.

Countries like France, Spain, the U.S., and the UK all show higher media trust scores, even though overall trust levels are relatively low.

France stands out at the bottom of the ranking, with just 30% trusting the government versus 40% trusting the media.

Large Trust Gaps Signal Institutional Tension

Kenya shows the largest pro-media gap, with media trusted by 70% compared to just 47% for government.

Conversely, Sweden, Japan, and South Korea lean more toward government trust, though with lower absolute scores than high-trust countries in Asia or the Middle East. Ireland is the lone country where trust in media and government is equal.

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