The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer “Trust Amid Insularity” is out and it should matter to financial services leaders.

We are surrounding ourselves with curated podcast lists, algorithm led social media feeds, seeing only our own opinion reflected back at us. People are retracting into their trusted circles and aren’t seeing a broader view of the world or alternative opinions.

Research from the Edelman Trust Barometer 2026 has found this has led to an ‘insularity’ mindset. People are becoming a lot more selective with where they place their trust and who they view as an authority – and it’s shifting the norm.

Seven in ten people are not willing to trust people with opposing views to them. 76% of people actively try and make things worse for people who have a different opinion to them.

Insularity affects how people behave, where they get information, and what they do with their money. That has direct implications for the economy and for financial services.

How is the financial services industry reflected in the Trust Barometer?

Financial services is ranked as one of the least trusted of the industries surveyed, coming in at 63%, down 1% from last year. Social media is at 50% trust rate but it’s rising. These numbers speak to a growing trend: authority is shifting away from institutions and towards smaller, more personal trust circles.

People still need to make financial decisions and choose companies to work with, so how are they getting their information?

Many people (44%) trust financial influencers to know what’s going on and what they should do with their money. Interestingly, 57% said that if a “financial influencer I trust endorsed a financial services company I distrusted, I would then trust or consider trusting that company.”

 

What’s changing for Financial Services

Economic uncertainty

Inflation and AI fears have risen. Geopolitical conflict feels overwhelming, and threats from abroad, from COVID to tariffs, reinforce a sense of loss of control that can’t be resolved through voting or national policy alone.

Economic security fears are now at record highs. 66% worry about international trade and tariff conflicts hurting the company they work for. Not a single developed country has more than 20% believing their family will be better off in the next generation. In the UK, that figure stands at 14%, down 3%.

When people feel economically exposed, they become more risk-averse, less open to change, and more likely to retreat into familiar narratives.

Trust inequality has doubled

“The distrust gap has more than doubled globally since 2012”. Lower-income communities show the highest levels of distrust and anxiety about being left behind or replaced by technology.

Trust in institutions sits at 35% for low-income household’s vs 57% for those with a high income, creating very different trust realities across the same market.

For financial services, this matters: the people who most need reassurance, access and guidance are often the least likely to trust institutional sources.

Leaders are liars

70% think CEOs, government and media are lying. 36% in the UK trust the government to do what’s right, well below the global average of 53% and down 1% from last year.

It becomes harder to solve reskilling, affordable housing or adapt to new technologies with this mindset.

Trust is social media is rising

Worries about inflation, AI and constant geopolitical bad news are driving a “great switch-off” from mainstream news. Trust in traditional media now sits at 39%.

Curated social feeds reinforce existing beliefs and often reward controversy. Two people can experience entirely different versions of the same event, sometimes leading to confusion, hostility and disbelief that someone else’s interpretation could be so different.

When it comes to financial services, finfluencers are on the rise. Access to easy to digest information, improving financial literacy can definitely be a good thing, but the flip side is high risk, one size fits all investment advice. Last year “The City watchdog amended or withdrew almost 20,000 financial promotions in 2024 – a 97.5 per cent increase from 2023” according to the Independent.

The internal impact: socially misaligned workplaces

Insularity doesn’t stop with customers.

People are putting more trust in their own CEO, but only when people feel socially aligned with them. Internally, 34% of people say they would put in less effort at work if a project team leader held different political views to their own.

This has implications for culture, productivity and leadership credibility at a time when organisations are already navigating change.

Deep routed fears and loss of control

The core problem is not a lack of information, but a lack of control.

People don’t trust financial services, and they are increasingly disengaged from traditional news sources that might provide context or reassurance. More change is happening now than in most people’s lifetimes, while many believe businesses prioritise their own interests above everything else.

International news and geopolitics feel overwhelming. The rapid acceleration of AI has created deep anxiety about future job prospects, particularly in lower-income households.

Insularity becomes a coping mechanism.

What can financial services do to empower and earn trust?

Communication

How you communicate, and how you enter increasingly narrow trust spheres, is more challenging and more important than ever. Clear, prepared communication reduces uncertainty and helps customers feel supported, rather than piecing together fragmented information from unverified sources.

Consistency matters: what organisations say must align with what they do, even when people aren’t watching

Empathy

Trust starts with listening. Genuine empathy allows organisations to understand different needs, identify shared values, and respond in ways that feel relevant rather than generic. This is not about agreeing with everyone, but about demonstrating understanding and respect, both of which underpin credibility.

Reassurance

In both good times and bad, people want confidence that financial institutions have their best interests at heart. Consumer Duty cannot be seen as a tick-box exercise; it must be experienced as genuine advocacy.

Meet people where they are

Make your voice heard through clear, consistent communication in the channels your audience already trusts, now that might be social media, podcasts or a face-to-face space.

Think local

Trust is rising closest to home: family, coworkers and immediate leaders. Localising supply chains, investing in staff, and reskilling and upskilling employees so they are not left behind all contribute to credibility at a time when trust in government and financial services continues to fall.

Mistakes happen

Missteps and crises are unavoidable. Organisations that acknowledge errors early, explain what has happened and communicate openly through periods of uncertainty can strengthen trust, rather than weaken it. Silence or defensiveness, by contrast, reinforces suspicion.

 

What’s next?

In an insular environment, trust is slower to earn, easier to lose, and far more personal. Financial services leaders who understand this shift and adapt to broker trust, will be better positioned to navigate both reputational risk and long-term relevance.