Trust in media and government drop in latest study by Edelman Australia
Trust in Australian media and news sources has dropped into “distrusted” territory since January, according to a new report by Edelman Australia.
Edelman’s most recent Australian survey, which measured the levels of trust in Australia’s institutions at the end of May 2021, shows trust fell sharply across all four major institutions: media, government, NGOs and business.

Source: Edelman [Click to enlarge]
Australians are also increasingly questioning information provided to them by sources, including media. Only 12% automatically believe information from media reports with named sources after seeing the information.
The drop in trust in governments in the country can also be attributed to snap lockdowns, challenges with the vaccine rollout and the operational management of Australia’s COVID-19 exit plan. Public discourse between state and federal leaders has also damaged the overall trust Australians have in government according to the study.
The survey included 1,200 respondents between 28 – 30 May, 2021.