The common man is likely to trust non-governmental organisations (NGOs) more than his government, says a report published last month. The Edelman Trust Barometer survey found that NGOs are the most trusted institutions in the world, including India where they have faced charges of opaque funding and misuse of funds from foreign donors. Governments, across the world, were in disfavour of their people.

“Since 2009, trust in NGOs has surged in India to 68 percent among 35 to 64-year-olds,” the repoprt reads.

Citizens trust NGOs more than corporate, government and other sector organizations, according to the Trust. “Trust in NGOs has reached a record high of 79 percent in China among 35 to 64-year-olds,” the report held.

At the same time, trust in government has dropped to nine points, the survey based on respondents from 25 countries noted. “In twelve countries, it trails business, media and NGOs as the least trusted institutions,” the report added.

According to the report, “Political brinkmanship on the debt ceiling in the United States, dysfunction on bailouts in the European Union, corruption in Brazil and India, and a natural disaster in Japan drove a downward trend.”

The crises in the last few years have had a deep impact on the governance perception. “Not surprisingly, their decline mirrored the historic drop in trust in the institution of government,” the report pointed out.

The trust in business also fell by three points globally to 53 percent. However, trust in media grew more than 50 percent, such a growth happening for the first time in the survey records.

The newest report is the 12th such annual report brought out by the Edelman Trust Barometer. It  examines trust in four key institutions -- government, business, media, and NGOs -- as well as communications channels and sources. Edelman is the world’s largest independent public relations firm.

Read the survey