Germany – Europe Findings

2009 Edelman Trust Barometer

Edelman Trust Barometer at a glance

Tenth edition since 2001

4, 475 people in 20 countries on 5 continents

Ages 25 to 64

College-educated

In top 25% of household income per age group in each country

Report significant media consumption and engagement in

business news and public policy

EU Countries: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands,

Sweden, Ireland, Poland (N=1800 aged 25-64)

Germany: N=200 aged 25-64; N=150 aged 35-64

A decade of insights from the Edelman Trust Barometer

3

Rising Influence of NGOs2001

Fall of the celebrity CEO2002

Earned media more credible than advertising2003

U.S. companies in Europe suffer trust discount2004

Trust shifts from “authorities” to peers2005

“A person like me” is most credible spokesperson2006

Business more trusted than government and media2007

Young influencers have more trust in business2008

What a difference a year makes

June 30, 2007 September 20, 2008

2008: A year unlike any other

Dow Jones Industrial Average: Jan 1, 2008 – Dec 15, 2008

―Every financial system depends

on trust....We are in a full-blown

crisis because investors and

financial managers—the people

who run banks, investment

banks, hedge funds, insurance

companies—have lost that trust.‖

– Robert J. Samuelson,

Newsweek

The State of Trust

1

62%

83%79%

77%74% 73%

69%67% 67% 67% 66%

62% 61%

56% 55% 54%50% 49% 49%

32%

21%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%% who trust companies less

Companies less trusted now than year ago

7

A60 Thinking about everything you have read, seen, or heard about business in the last year, in general, do you trust corporations a lot less,

a little less, the same, a little more, or a lot more than you did at the same time last year? (Bottom 2 Box: Trust less) 25-64 Informed publics

in 20 countries

51%

58%

41%

75%

49%

74%

47%49%

35%

30%

45% 45%

61%

43% 42%

55%

61%

39%

54%

49%

38%

27%

65%

40%

65%

41%45%

33%29%

45%47%

63%

45% 45%

62%

69%

51%

71%

39%

68%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%2008 2009

Trust in business is country-specific

8

% who trust business to do what is right

A10. [Business in general TRACKING] I am going to read you a list of institutions. For each one, please tell me how much you TRUST that

institution to do what is right. Please use a nine-point scale where one means that you "DO NOT TRUST THEM AT ALL" and nine means

that you "TRUST THEM A GREAT DEAL". (Top 4 Box) Informed publics 35-64 (global 18 countries, excluding Australia, Indonesia)

Trust Down Trust Steady Trust UpNew

additions

in 2009

The Trust Divide

Trust in business <50% among 25-to-64-year-olds

Trust in business >50% among 25-to-64-year-olds

In U.S., trust in business at lowest level, including post-Enron

10

44% 44%

48%

51%

48%49%

53%

58%

38%

32%

41%

35%

40%

36%

38%

34%

36%36%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

55%

60%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

US UK/France/Germany

A10. [Business in general TRACKING] I am going to read you a list of institutions. For each one, please tell me how much you TRUST that

institution to do what is right. Please use a nine-point scale where one means that you "DO NOT TRUST THEM AT ALL" and nine means

that you "TRUST THEM A GREAT DEAL". (Top 4 Box) Informed publics 35-64 in the United States and UK/France/Germany

Enron, the dot-com bust

and September 11

20

point

drop

U.S. is the new Europe

Government gains trust in Germany

A8. [Government in general TRACKING] I am going to read you a list of institutions. For each one, please tell me how much you TRUST

that institution to do what is right. Please use a nine-point scale where one means that you "DO NOT TRUST THEM AT ALL" and nine

means that you "TRUST THEM A GREAT DEAL.‖ (Top 4 Box) Informed publics 35-64 (global 18 countries, excluding Australia, Indonesia)

11

% who trust government to do what is right

43%

63%

39%

49% 49%

37%40%

35%

45%

35%

79%

29%

38%34%

27%

64%

39%

11%

22%

44%

39%

30%

41%43%

34%38% 35%

45%

36%

80%

32%

43%41%

35%

74%

51%

33%

51% 52% 53%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%2008 2009

Trust Down Trust Steady Trust UpNew

additions

in 2009

More in EU still trust business over government

A 8,10. [Government in general, business in general TRACKING] I am going to read you a list of institutions. For each one, please tell me

how much you TRUST that institution to do what is right. Please use a nine-point scale where one means that you "DO NOT TRUST THEM

AT ALL" and nine means that you "TRUST THEM A GREAT DEAL.‖ (Top 4 Box) Informed publics 35-64 (global 20 countries, including

Australia, Indonesia)

12

50%47%

51%

40% 41%45% 45%

33%

27%29%

62%

45%

33%

39%

34%35%

41%43%

35%32%

36%

74%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%Business in general Government in general

Business more trusted Government more trusted

NGOs most trusted institution

13

.

54%57%

49%50%

42%

33%

47%

40%

46%45%

40%

35%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Global Total EU Germany

% who trust each institution

NGOs Business Media Government

A8-11. [TRACKING] I am going to read you a list of institutions. For each one, please tell me how much you

TRUST that institution to do what is right. Please use a nine-point scale where one means that you "DO NOT

TRUST THEM AT ALL" and nine means that you "TRUST THEM A GREAT DEAL.” The higher the number, the

more you TRUST them to do what is right. (Top 4 Box) Informed publics 35-64 (global 20 countries)

Business less

trusted than other

institutions

70% 65%

62% 53%

52% 49%

57% 48%

51% 66%

52% 48%

44% 21%

47% 51%

48% 35%

50% 41%

32% 23%

35% 33%

30% 23%40%

42%

45%

50%

53%

55%

55%

55%

55%

57%

57%

66%

76%

Insurance

Media companies

Banks

Entertainment

Pharmaceuticals

CPG manufacturers

Energy

Food

Retail

Health care industry

Automotive

Biotech/life sciences

Technology

Technology remains most trusted industry sector globally

14

A25-37. [TRACKING] Now I would like to focus on your trust in different industry sectors. Please tell me how much you TRUST

businesses in each of the following industries to do what is right. Again, please use a 9-point scale where one means that you

"DO NOT TRUST THEM AT ALL" and nine means that you "TRUST THEM A GREAT DEAL". (Top 4 Box) Informed Publics

35-64 in Global Total 18 countries

Retail most trusted in Germany

In Germany, Energy and Banks suffered trust decline;

Retail, CPG Manufacturers and Entertainment enjoyed increases

A25-37. [TRACKING] Now I would like to focus on your trust in different industry sectors. Please tell me how much you TRUST

businesses in each of the following industries to do what is right. Again, please use a 9-point scale where one means that you

"DO NOT TRUST THEM AT ALL" and nine means that you "TRUST THEM A GREAT DEAL". (Top 4 Box) Informed Publics

35-64 in Germany

55%59%

55%

41%45%

49%

29% 29%

36%

42%

20%

33%

66% 65%

53%51%

49% 48%

41%

35%33%

23% 23%21%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100% 2008 2009

15

+11

-19

-12

+10

+12

Companies headquartered in Sweden, Germany, and Canada remain most

trusted; companies in China and Russia trusted the least

A12-24. [TRACKING] Now I would like to focus on global companies headquartered in specific countries. Please tell me how much you TRUST global

companies headquartered in the following countries to do what is right. Use the same nine-point scale where one means that you "DO NOT TRUST

THEM AT ALL" and nine means that you "TRUST THEM A GREAT DEAL.‖ (Top 4 Box) Informed publics 35-64 in 18 countries

76%74% 74%

71%68%

62%60% 59%

54% 53%

36%

28%26%

73% 72% 71%68%

65%

60%

53% 52%50%

43%

32%

24% 24%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2008 2009

16

"Trust between banks, trust in the

economy, trust of citizens. Trust is the

currency which is used to pay. We had

and still have to deal with the excesses

in the markets. It is the state's job in a

social market economy to control this.―

– Angela Merkel, October 2008

Lack of Trust Triggers Call for Government Intervention

2

By 3:1 margin and 4:1 in Germany, informed publics agree that government

should impose stricter regulations and greater control over business across

all industries

18

Agree; 65%

Disagree; 22%

Neither agree nor disagree;

12%

Don't know; 1%

Global

F146. The recent credit crisis and government bail-outs have led to debates on how much governments should intervene to regulate

industry or nationalize companies to restore public trust. Please tell me how strongly you agree or disagree that your government should

in the future impose stricter regulations and greater control over business across all industry sectors.(Informed Publics 25-64 in 20

countries)

Agree; 69%

Disagree; 17%

Neither agree nor disagree;

13%

Germany

Don't

know; 1%

Three Global Issues:

Who Is Responsible for Causing and Solving?

Global

Warming

Energy

Costs

Financial

Credit Crisis

Germany places more blame on business than on government for causing

global issues

20

.

80%

70%

81%

67%

77%

68%

79%

86% 84%88%

81%87%

Global Germany Global Germany Global Germany

Government and regulators Businesses

E. 119-120, E124-125, 129-130, 134-135. Now thinking about (Energy Cost, Financial Credit Crisis, Global

Warming, Affordable Healthcare) , please tell me how responsible you think each of the following entities are for

contributing to (global issue)? TOP 4 BOX 25-64 Informed Publics in 20 countries

Energy Costs Financial Credit Crisis Global Warming

Government held most responsible for solving these issues

21

.

47%

17%

53%

44%41%

22%21%

13%

24% 22%17%

13%

4%

12%

2% 3%6%

21%

Global Germany Global Germany Global Germany

Government and regulators Businesses NGO

E138. And which ONE entity do you think should be MOST responsible for (solving each global issue)? Informed

Publics 25-64 in 20 countries

Reducing Energy Cost Financial Credit Crisis Global Warming

Germany holds government, business and NGOs responsible for solving energy costs and global

warming

Business has lost ability to lead unilaterally

Must partner with others to solve global issues

22

66% 65%60%

31% 30%

36%

3% 4% 3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Global EU Germany

Partner with governments and third parties Do what it can alone Play no role

E139. Thinking about the role that business should play in helping to solve global issues such as energy costs, the financial credit crisis,

global warming, or access to affordable healthcare, which of these following three statements is closest to your view? Business has to

partner with governments and advocacy groups to solve these global issues, it cannot do it alone; OR Business should focus on what they

themselves can do on these global issues, whether or not governments or others partner with them ; OR Business should not play a part in

helping to solve these global issues (Informed publics 25-64 in 20 countries)

―Der Zorn und die Enttäuschung bei

den Menschen hier sitzen so tief,

dass es für mich nicht möglich sein

wird, ihr Vertrauen

zurückzugewinnen.―

–Bjorgvin Sigurdsson; isländischer

Wirtschaftsminister bei seinem

Rücktritt

Who Can We Trust?Trust in Information Sources and Spokespeople Declines Across the Board

3

63%

57%53% 53%

51%47%

69%

61%

54% 53%49%

39%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Articles in business magazines

Television news coverage

News coverage on the radio

Stock or industry analyst reports

Articles in newspapers

Conversations with your friends and

peers

2008 2009

Trust in traditional information sources remains relatively steady in Germany

C95-98,103. [TRACKING] Now I’m going to read you a list of places where you might get information about a company. Please tell me how

credible you believe each one of them is as a source of information about the company—is it extremely credible, very credible, somewhat

credible, or not credible at all? (Top 2 Box), Informed Publics ages 35-64 in Germany

24

32%

17%

11%15%

11%

6%

Corporate communications such as press releases,

reports and emails

A company’s own website Corporate or product advertising

2008 2009

German trust in corporate information channels low

C99-101,109,110. [TRACKING] Now I’m going to read you a list of places where you might get information about a company. Please tell

me how credible you believe each one of them is as a source of information about the company—is it extremely credible, very credible,

somewhat credible, or not credible at all? (Top 2 Box), Informed Publics ages 35-64 in Germany

25

46%

15%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Conversations with company

employees

Live communication such as a CEO

speech

2009

Exception is most trusted corporate information source - employees

41%

16%

41%

23%

Free content sources, such as wikipedia or

webportals*

Social networking sites (such as MySpace or

Facebook)

2008 2009

Trust in digital channels steady

Free content sources most trusted

C95-110. [TRACKING] Now I’m going to read you a list of places where you might get information about a company. Please tell me how

credible you believe each one of them is as a source of information about the company—is it extremely credible, very credible, somewhat

credible, or not credible at all? (Top 2 Box), Informed publics ages 35-64 in Germany

26

33%

19%

5%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Internet search engines e.g.

Google news, Yahoo news

Business Blogs Personal or Non Business Blogs

or bulletin boards

2009

*asked as “Free content encyclopedia

(such as Wikipedia)” in 2008

Conversations with company employees and free content sources as

important as traditional media in Germany

27

5%

19%

23%

33%

41%

6%

11%

15%

15%

46%

39%

49%

53%

54%

61%

69%

Personal or Non Business Blogs or bulletin boards

Business Blogs

Social networking sites (such as Myspace or Facebook)

Internet search engines e.g. Google news, Yahoo news

Free content sources, such as Wikipedia or web portals

Corporate or product advertising

A company’s own Web site

Corporate communications such as press releases, reports, and …

Live communication such as a speech or interview from a …

Conversations with company employees

Conversations with your friends and peers

Articles in newspapers

Stock or industry analyst reports

News coverage on the radio

Television news coverage

Articles in business magazines

C95-110. [TRACKING] Now I’m going to read you a list of places where you might get information about a company. Please tell me how

credible you believe each one of them is as a source of information about the company—is it extremely credible, very credible, somewhat

credible, or not credible at all? TOP 2 BOX Informed Publics 35-64 in Germany

Tra

ditio

nal

Co

rpo

rate

Dig

ital

A person like yourself remains most credible spokesperson in Germany

D112-118. [TRACKING] Now I’m going to read you a list of people. In general, when forming an opinion of a company, if you heard

information about a company from that person, how credible would the information be--extremely credible, very credible, somewhat credible,

or not credible at all? (Top 2 Box) Informed Publics 35-64 in Germany

60%

38%

26%

41%

36%

22%

14%

65%

41%

35%31%

29%

19%

7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

A person like yourself

Non-profit organization or

NGO representative

Regular employee of a company

Financial or industry analyst

An academic or expert on that

company's industry or issues*

CEO of company Government official or regulator

2008 2009

28

*asked as “an

academic” in 2008

―Trust is the cornerstone for the

survival of an enterprise and a society.‖

– China Daily

The Business Case for TrustReputation, Sales, and License to Operate Driven by Trust and Transparency

4

In Germany, trustworthy senior leadership as important to reputation as employee treatment,

products and services and job creation

30

87%

87%

88%

88%

89%

90%

91%

92%

93%

93%

94%

94%

Commits time, money and resources to the greater public …

Has a strong commitment to protect the environment

Is a company I trust

Stays within the spirit and the letter of the law in [country]

Is an innovator of new products, services or ideas

Communicates frequently and honestly on its business

Gives value for money

Has a strong financial future

Creates and keeps jobs in your area

Has senior leadership that can be trusted

Offers high quality products or services

Is a company that treats its employees well

B62-73. When you think of good and responsible companies, how important is each of the following factors to the overall reputation of the

company? Please use a nine-point scale where one means that factor is ―not at all important‖ and nine means it is ―extremely important‖ to

overall reputation. (Top 4 Box) Informed Publics 25-64 in Germany

Through personal action, trust hits the bottom line

31

15%

21%

50%

48%

17%

28%

62%

66%

82%

B74-78 Thinking back over the past 12 months, have you taken any of the following actions in relation to companies that you trust? Please answer yes or no

to each action.

B79-82. Still thinking about the past 12 months, have you taken any of the following actions in relation to companies that you do not trust? Please answer yes

or no to each action. Informed Publics 25-64 In Germany

Chose to buy their products/servicesRefused to buy their products/services

Recommended them to a friend or colleagueCriticized them to a friend or colleague

Paid a premium for their products/services

Bought sharesSold shares

Shared positive company

opinions/experiences online

Shared negative company

opinions/experiences online

+- Actions taken with trusted and distrusted companies

A study in chickens and eggs

Which will drive recovery?

32

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Se

p 0

1

Dez 0

1

Mrz

02

Ju

n 0

2

Se

p 0

2

Dez 0

2

Mrz

03

Ju

n 0

3

Se

p 0

3

Dez 0

3

Mrz

04

Ju

n 0

4

Se

p 0

4

Dez 0

4

Mrz

05

Ju

n 0

5

Se

p 0

5

Dez 0

5

Mrz

06

Ju

n 0

6

Se

p 0

6

Dez 0

6

Mrz

07

Ju

n 0

7

Se

p 0

7

De

z 0

7

Mrz

08

Ju

n 0

8

Se

p 0

8

Dez 0

8

Trust in US business in general

A10. Business in General [TRACKING] I am going to read you a list of institutions. For each one, please tell me how much you TRUST that

institution to do what is right. Please use a 9-point scale where one means that you "DO NOT TRUST THEM AT ALL" and nine means that

you "TRUST THEM A GREAT DEAL". (Top 4 Box) Informed Publics 35-64 in the US

Enron, the dot-com bust

and September 11

S&P 500: Sep 2001 – Dec 2008

―… an economy is a society of trust and faith. A recession is a

mental event, and every recession has its own unique spirit. This

recession was caused by deep imbalances and is propelled by a

cascade of fundamental insecurities.‖

––David Brooks, New York Times

A Ten Year Overview of Trust

The 2009 Edelman Trust Barometer is the firm’s 10th trust and credibility survey.

The survey was produced by research firm StrategyOne. The survey consisted of

30-minute telephone interviews conducted in November – December 2008. For the first

time, the survey sampled two different age groups concurrently (25-34 and 35-64).

For more information on the Edelman Trust Barometer and

to view past results, please visit www.edelman.com/trust.

Methodology

34

10th Edelman Trust Barometer

Global Reach 20 countries on five continents

Sample Size

N=4475 Total

N=3400 age 35-64 (20 countries)

N=1075 age 25-34 (20 countries)

Audience Profile

Informed Publics (same as 2008)

• College-educated

• In top 25% of household income per age group in each country

• Reported significant media consumption and engagement in business

news and public policy

Field DatesNov 5 -Dec 14, 2008

(post-U.S. election)

2009 Edelman Trust Barometer