Study: 34% of APAC consumers hold high grievance towards new tech

Moving into 2025, consumers in APAC are more suspicious of artificial intelligence (AI), with 34% holding high grievance towards the new technology and 46% holding moderate grievance. This is coupled with fears of job security where employees feel threatened by automation (58%) and lack of training (58%). 

This is according to Edelman's Trust Barometer report, where it surveyed 33,000 respondents across 28 countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China and Australia. 

According to the report, consumers' trust in businesses and their leaders have eroded. In fact, 61% of consumers hold grievances against businesses, government and the rich.

The report also said grievance instills a zero-sum mindset where consumers believe that "what helps people who don't share my politics comes at a cost to me". 

Other fears include looming recession (63%), international trade conflicts (62%), foreign competitors (59%) and offshoring (54%). These grievances and worries impose a trust penalty where people are less trustful of leaders and institutions.

For example, consumers worry that leaders lie and purposely mislead people by saying things they know are false, or by gross exaggeration. This largely impacts government leaders (69%), business leaders (68%) and journalists and reporters (70%). 

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Trust in business leaders have also eroded with 30% citing high distrust and 50% feeling neutral. This is compared 64% who cite having trust in business leaders. Similarly, 72% have said they trust their CEO, while 65% are neutral and 51% are distrustful. 

That said, across the institutions of government, media, business and NGOs, businesses are seen to be more ethical and competent. As such, respondents stated that businesses are obligated to provide good-paying jobs and train or reskill employees to be competitive in order to ensure for a better future. 

In tandem, respondents ae demanding more action from businesses, not less, adding that CEOs are not going far enough to address issues such as affordability (64%), climate change (62%), retraining (56%), misinformation (55%) and discrimination (53%). 

Route to rebuilding trust 

To rebuild trust, the report found that grievances must be addressed. To lead through this crisis, institutions must understand the economic realities of their stakeholders, champion shared interests, and create opportunities for optimism. 

In addition, those with a higher sense of grievance are more likely to believe that businesses are not doing enough to address societal issues. They added that CEOs have permission to act and are justified in addressing a societal issue if it could make a major impact on the challenge (76%) as they believe it will improve business performance (71%). The same beliefs are being held when a business has contributed to the problem, and where it harms their stakeholders such as customers, employees and communities. As such, to navigate these expectations, CEOs and businesses must understand where they have obligations, act on behalf of the stakeholders, and advocate for their organisation.

Business, government, media, and NGOs must also work together to address the root causes of grievance and enable trust, growth, and prosperity. This may include investing in local communities, quality information, and job skills. In all, institutions must deliver results that benefit everyone fairly. 

Finally, with trust, optimism can overpower grievance. When institutions can’t be trusted to do what is right, grievances fester and outlooks darken. To dissipate grievance and increase optimism, prioritide and rebuild trust across organisations and local communities.

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