- Trust among Canadians is declining for the first time according to the Proof CanTrust Index, which surveys over 1,500 Canadians annually about trust. - Trust is falling in media, large corporations, leaders, and CEOs. Only 2 in 5 Canadians think people are generally trustworthy. - Areas with particularly low trust are Alberta and those who identify as Conservative or NDP politically. Newcomers to Canada and those who lean Liberal have higher trust.

1. April 25, 2019

2. Trust is what makes economies and democracies work.
Trust should be coveted and built, nurtured and protected.
At Proof, we are curious about what drives trust among Canadians
and we want to tell the unique and distinct story about this country
and how that story may evolve over time and through events.
We believe people and leaders should be trust builders
and hope insights from the study point the way forward.
WHY WE STUDY TRUST?

3. “THE RULE OF LAW DEPENDS ON TRUST.
AND IF THE RULE OF LAW CANNOT WORK,
THEN OUR DEMOCRACY AND ITS INSTITUTIONS
ARE DOOMED.”
RT. HON. DAVID JOHNSTON,
Former Governor-General.

4. THE PROOF CANTRUST INDEX
IS THE MOST IN-DEPTH STUDY OF
CANADIANS’ TRUST IN CANADA
ENTERING ITS FOURTH YEAR
1,543 CANADIANS
Newcomers to Canada
People in Quebec
Political affiliation
Large versus small communities
Geographic breakouts

5. CRACKS ARE APPEARING
IN THE FOUNDATION
OF TRUST

6. ERODING TRUST IN CANADA
For the 1st time in four years, our overall Trust Index*
has fallen significantly – demonstrating a worrisome change.
*The 2019 Trust Index is scored based on taking an average of trust on all types of institutions.

7. PROOF POINT:
ONLY 2 IN 5 THINK PEOPLE
ARE TRUSTWORTHY

8. PROOF POINT:
TRUST IN ORGANIZATIONS IS FALLING

9. PROOF POINT:
OVER FOUR YEARS, MEDIA (14%)
AND LARGE CORPORATIONS (9%) HAVE SEEN
THE LARGEST DECLINE IN TRUST
2019 Results. Q. Please rank the following categories of organizations for how much you trust them to do what is right for Canada,
Canadians and our society, using a seven point scale, where ‘1’ is trust very little and ‘7’ is trust them a lot.

10. PROOF POINT:
TRUST IN OUR LEADERS IS FALLING
Local mayors are now our most trusted leaders.
2019 Results. Q. Thinking about Canada and the province and city you live in, please rank the people in each role according to where you live for how much
you trust them to do what is right for Canada, Canadians and our society, using a seven point scale, where ‘1’ is trust very little and ‘7’ is trust them a lot.

11. PROOF POINT:
TRUST IN CEOs HAS FALLEN
TO ITS LOWEST POINT IN FOUR YEARS

12. PROOF POINT:
ONLY HALF OF CANADIANS TRUST THAT THE
ELECTORAL SYSTEM IS FAIR AND REPRESENTATIVE

13. AREAS OF MISTRUST
DECLINING TRUST IS MOST PRONOUNCED
IN TWO AREAS
PROVINCIAL: Albertans are consistently less trusting
than all other provinces
POLITICAL: Those who align with Conservatives
and NDP show low trust levels
across the board

14. AREAS OF MISTRUST
THE ALBERTA TRUST DEFICIT

15. AREAS OF MISTRUST
CANADIANS WHO LEAN CONSERVATIVE AND NDP

16. THE TRUST BEACONS
TRUST IS BUOYED BY
LIBERAL-LEANING VOTERS,
AND NEWCOMERS TO CANADA
WHO HAVE HIGH TRUST

17. THE TRUST BEACONS
PEOPLE WHO ARE LIBERAL LEANING
AND NEWCOMERS TO CANADA HAVE HIGHER TRUST

18. ...BUT NOT INDEFINITELY
ONCE NEWCOMERS REACH 15 YEARS IN CANADA,
THE WINDOW OF TRUST CLOSES AS
THEIR TRUST LEVELS DECLINE ACROSS THE BOARD

19. MOST INDUSTRY SECTORS ARE TAKING A HIT IN TRUST

20. ENERGY AND PIPELINE SECTOR IS ON THE REBOUND

21. SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES ARE LEAST TRUSTED

22. THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM
CREATES OPPORTUNITY AT THE TOP.

23. BUILDING TRUST

24. TRUSTED INFORMATION SOURCES
2019 Results. Q. Using a seven point scale, where ‘1’ is strongly distrust and ‘7’ is completely trust,
to what extent do you trust the following sources of information about a product, service, brand or organization?
FRIENDS AND
FAMILY AND OUR
FIRST-HAND
EXPERIENCE ARE
THE MOST TRUSTED
SOURCES OF
INFORMATION.

25. ONLY 2 IN 5 TRUST THE INFORMATION
THEY CONSUME.
2 IN 5 VERIFY THE INFORMATION THEY CONSUME MOST
OR ALL OF THE TIME.
GOOGLE IS THE GO-TO VERIFICATION SOURCE.

26. THE CHANGING CIRCLE OF TRUST
Canadians’ preferred information source
in 2019 is word of mouth.

27. FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE IN THE CIRCLE OF TRUST
Friends and family are the most trusted ‘influencers’ and impact our opinions and actions most –
more than thought-leaders and professionals.
2019 Results. Q. Rate your level of trust for the following potential ‘influencers’ based on how much they may influence you, your
opinion and / or actions using a seven point scale, where ‘1’ is trust very little and ‘7’ is trust a lot.

28. TRUST IS NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST
Subject matter expertise and being consistently relevant increases trust.
2019 Results. Q. How do each of the following 4 variables impact your level of trust in ‘influencers’ and their content?
Using a seven point scale, where ‘1’ is trust very little and ‘7’ is trust a lot. Responses of <4% have been removed.

29. ORGANIZATIONS’ ACTIONS THAT BUILD TRUST
2019 Results. Q. Please rate the following actions based on level of importance in determining how much you trust an organization to do what is right for
Canada, Canadians and our society, using a seven point scale, where ‘1’ is not that important and ‘7’ means very important.

30. TRUSTED LEADERSHIP TRAITS
Honesty and integrity are the two strongest drivers of trust.

31. TRUST CONSIDERATIONS IN PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
What Canadians deem important when it comes to determining how much they trust
a particular product or service.
2019 Results. Q. Please rate the following factors on their level of importance to you when it comes to determining how much you trust a particular
product or service. Use a seven point scale, where ‘1’ is not that important and ‘7’ means extremely important.

32. IN THIS AGE OF TRANSPARENCY,
HOW A COMPANY DOES THINGS
HAS BECOME AS IMPORTANT
AS WHAT IT DOES.

33. BRANDS THAT BUILD TRUST CAN RISE ABOVE THEIR CATEGORY

34. FIVE TRUST TAKE-AWAYS

35. TRUST BUILDING SHOULD BE
“ALWAYS-ON.”

36. QUALITY AND RELIABILITY TRUMP ALL,
BUT IN A SEA OF SAMENESS,
REPUTATION IS THE TIE-BREAKER.

37. BUILD CONNECTIONS AND
MAKE MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS.

38. UNDERSTAND NEW CANADIANS
AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
FOR THE LONG-HAUL.

39. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.

40. THANK YOU