UAE government ranked second in trust globally: Study

Dubai: The UAE has ranked among the highest among world governments in the Edelman Trust Barometer 2018 report released ahead of the World Economic Forum.

The latest report placed the UAE as the second most trusted government in the world, according to Edelman.

Revealed on Tuesday, the study noted that the UAE was one of “six countries with extreme trust gains” over the past year.

After seven years — our government is still among the top. The trust has been earned over the years through working and giving. This trust is our greatest asset and most important achievement.”

- Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, hailed the milestone on his twitter account on Tuesday.

“UAE ranked second — globally — for most trusted government, according to an Edelman Foundation survey. After seven years — our government is still among the top. The trust has been earned over the years through working and giving. This trust is our greatest asset and most important achievement,” he tweeted.

Shaikh Mohammad said the UAE is the second most trusted country in the world based on the trust the public have in their government.

“For seven years, our government is at the top of the rankings. Trust gained through years of work, construction and giving. Confidence is our greatest asset and our greatest achievement,” he said.

The annual survey was conducted online across 28 countries with over 33,000 respondents, which was carried out from October 28 to November 20, 2017.

Respondents had to meet four criteria such as being aged 25-64, college educated, having earnings in the top 25 per cent of household income per age group in each country and to report significant media consumption and engagement in business news.

According to the international report, the Trust Index in the US government “was the steepest ever measured” as it dropped by nine points from 2017, while China and the UAE both gained points by seven and six points, respectively.

The UAE government ranked second at 77 points in the trust indicator for government and public institutions, while China was ranked first at 84 points.

The trust index is the average of a country’s trust in the institutions of government, business, media and NGOs.

The UAE topped a number of Western countries in the trust index, such as Germany and the UK, which were given 43 and 36 points, respectively.

The trust index in companies and businesses increased in 14 out of 28 countries, with the UAE ranked at fourth place. Indonesia was first globally with the most trust in businesses, followed by Indonesia, India and China at second place, and Mexico at third.

Last year, the UAE also ranked second globally in government trust according to the Edelman Trust Barometer released in 2017.