FILIPINOS are now demanding transparency, competence and accountability before they can trust a given sector, according to the 2024 Philippine Trust Survey conducted by public relations firm EON Group, together with the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Development Studies.
The ninth iteration of the study, which began in 2011, showed that Filipinos now trust with caution and are conditional with their trust, noting that while they give their trust to a certain person or institution, they don’t rule out the possibility of failure.
Also, the study indicated that trust cannot rest solely on rhetoric and idealism; rather, it must be grounded in a framework of tangible and visible proof that reflects three key drivers: being known, good and consistent.
TRUST SURVEY EON President Malyn Molina explains the mechanics of the Philippine Trust Study at the Makati Shangri-La on Nov. 5, 2024. PHOTO BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
“Filipinos are [extremely trustworthy]; what we have uncovered with conversations is that [trust] is a guarded conviction. Filipinos will give you the trust with the expectations that institutions might fail. However, even if they expect you to fail, they are unprepared for it, so there is a fragility to the trust of Filipinos,” Malyn Medina, EON group president and chief executive officer, told The Manila Times in an interview at the study’s launch in Makati City.
The study, which used quantitative surveying of 1,800 individuals nationwide and qualitative focus group discussion from four major geographic locations among the business, health care and media sectors, saw that Filipinos appear to be very trusting based on the survey, but participants in the focus-group discussion show that Filipinos’ trust is not a full or absolute kind of confidence.
Among key sectors, the survey respondents found high trust ratings for major political offices, such as the Office of the President at 82.3 percent, the Senate at 83.5 percent, and the House of Representatives at 81.6 percent.
Among government agencies, the Departments of Education, Health, and Social Welfare and Development are the top Cabinet-level agencies with the highest trust rating of above 89 percent for all three agencies.
However, Filipinos tend to trust their local government units more than the national government, at 95.4 percent trust.
Drug and medicine manufacturers are among the most trusted in the business sector, with a trust rating of 93.9 percent, while real estate is the lowest at 79.6 percent, suggesting that Filipinos consider ethical practices, service quality and sustainability the important factors in forming trust in businesses.
EON president Malyn Molina leads the 2024 Philippine Trust Study in cooperation with the Ateneo and other stakeholders at the Makati Shangri-La on Nov. 5, 2024. The 2024 Philippine Trust Study forum dove into the ever changing landscape of public trust in government institutions, private businesses and the media and how each sector can gain insights on the factors that influence, build, and maintain public trust and confidence. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
EON president Malyn Molina leads the 2024 Philippine Trust Study in cooperation with the Ateneo and other stakeholders at the Makati Shangri-La on Nov. 5, 2024. The 2024 Philippine Trust Study forum dove into the ever changing landscape of public trust in government institutions, private businesses and the media and how each sector can gain insights on the factors that influence, build, and maintain public trust and confidence. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
EON president Malyn Molina leads the 2024 Philippine Trust Study in cooperation with the Ateneo and other stakeholders at the Makati Shangri-La on Nov. 5, 2024. The 2024 Philippine Trust Study forum dove into the ever changing landscape of public trust in government institutions, private businesses and the media and how each sector can gain insights on the factors that influence, build, and maintain public trust and confidence. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
EON president Malyn Molina leads the 2024 Philippine Trust Study in cooperation with the Ateneo and other stakeholders at the Makati Shangri-La on Nov. 5, 2024. The 2024 Philippine Trust Study forum dove into the ever changing landscape of public trust in government institutions, private businesses and the media and how each sector can gain insights on the factors that influence, build, and maintain public trust and confidence. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
EON president Malyn Molina leads the 2024 Philippine Trust Study in cooperation with the Ateneo and other stakeholders at the Makati Shangri-La on Nov. 5, 2024. The 2024 Philippine Trust Study forum dove into the ever changing landscape of public trust in government institutions, private businesses and the media and how each sector can gain insights on the factors that influence, build, and maintain public trust and confidence. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
EON president Malyn Molina leads the 2024 Philippine Trust Study in cooperation with the Ateneo and other stakeholders at the Makati Shangri-La on Nov. 5, 2024. The 2024 Philippine Trust Study forum dove into the ever changing landscape of public trust in government institutions, private businesses and the media and how each sector can gain insights on the factors that influence, build, and maintain public trust and confidence. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
EON president Malyn Molina leads the 2024 Philippine Trust Study in cooperation with the Ateneo and other stakeholders at the Makati Shangri-La on Nov. 5, 2024. The 2024 Philippine Trust Study forum dove into the ever changing landscape of public trust in government institutions, private businesses and the media and how each sector can gain insights on the factors that influence, build, and maintain public trust and confidence. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
EON president Malyn Molina leads the 2024 Philippine Trust Study in cooperation with the Ateneo and other stakeholders at the Makati Shangri-La on Nov. 5, 2024. The 2024 Philippine Trust Study forum dove into the ever changing landscape of public trust in government institutions, private businesses and the media and how each sector can gain insights on the factors that influence, build, and maintain public trust and confidence. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
Meanwhile, among media platforms, television remains the most trusted platform at 93.6 percent, followed by radio stations at 91.2 percent, while broadsheets, tabloids and online news sites come on the rear.
Filipinos value media outlets that feature journalists who speak the truth while also providing headlines that are supported by evidence, presenting unbiased news and amplifying the voices of underdogs.
However, the study revealed that despite its popularity, TikTok is only the fifth most trusted social media platform behind Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter/X.
Dr. Kevin Go, assistant professor of the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Development Studies, said that the survey is different from the surveys of political firms that also measure trust ratings as their survey ratings attach to the real experience of trust itself.
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