Survey shows trust in public institutions declines in South Africa

Trust in South Africa’s public institutions including the government and media industry has declined in 2017, according to a leading survey released on Tuesday.

The annual Edelman Trust Barometre since 2001, showed overall trust in four institutions it measures,
the government, media, business and non-governmental organisations, said that trust from the general population in South Africa in the government saw a slight drop of one per cent to 14 per cent in 2017.

The survey showed that public trust in media fell four points to 35 per cent, and in business, it declined three points to 53 per cent.

It showed the figure went down from 58 per cent to 50 per cent in non-governmental organisations.

According to the survey, corruption allegations against the former South African President Jacob Zuma have contributed to negative public opinion of the government.

It also stated that 69 per cent of South Africans are worried about fake news being used as a weapon.