This news alarmed shortly before the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos deeply: In Germany, the confidence plunges into the actions of politicians in the light of the refugee crisis almost from. And all over the world mistrust of the general public to the better-educated and high-earning strata is widening. The elites no longer lead. Also, the information behavior of the corresponding groups falls further and further apart. The world gets an understanding problem.

For the "Trust Barometer" the global PR agency Edelman has more than 33,000 people surveyed in 28 countries around the world between October and November of last year. The result is clear: Confidence in the German politics has sunk in the informed population by 5 percentage points. A similar dynamic down there has otherwise given only in countries such as India, the United Arab Emirates and Poland. And events such as the conflict in the New Year's Eve in Cologne are not yet included in these figures because it took place only after the end of the survey period. It is obvious that they have yet led to significantly poorer than the measured values ​​last fall.

Growing distrust of "those up there"

Here, the fundamental trust in governments, industry, NGOs and the media is to inform the world among those who have a higher education and belong to the intense upper 25 percent of the income pyramid, most recently even increased. These may have contributed especially the extremely good state of the economy in 2015, which in turn particularly applies to the situation in Germany. That confidence in this country yet so strong decline in the policy precisely in this group makes the German decline particularly remarkable - besides the fact that the Cabinet around ChancellorAngela Merkel (CDU) has cut above average in the polls of the past and in Compared to other governments had been regarded in the world as a guarantor of stability.

Around the world comes a phenomenon added, which should also be interested in the elites: In the vast majority believed "those up there" increasingly rare. Data that have been gathered from the media analysis company Media Tenor, confirm these impressions. The studies of Media Tenor and Edelman are the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung before advance. In the data can be found not primarily an economy of inequality, as has been described by the French economist Thomas Piketty in his bestseller "The capital in the 21st century". What is reflected in the data, is an inequality of confidence around the world, which, however, often correlated with income inequality.

Trust inequality is reinforced by Trump, Le Pen & Co.

"It is a great illusion in the game, namely the idea that elites continue to lead and follow the masses," says the CEO Richard Edelman Edelman. And his boss Susanne Marell Germany-agrees. "Friends, family members and ordinary employees of an enterprise continues to be much more familiar than representatives of media, from companies or even politicians," says Marell.Greed, misbehavior, the democratization of the media, all that would mean that it was no longer so easy to gain the trust of the general population.

This inequality of trust has significant consequences. Quite obviously growing by the receptivity for politicians who want to make their prey to the fear of the population. As examples of this, both the refugee crisis and the bitter dispute over free trade agreements such as the targeted TTIP agreement between Europe and the United States can serve. Against TTIP go hundreds of thousands to the streets, the topic is emotionally heavy burden, especially the perceived or real lack of transparency in the negotiations bothers people. This is not altered, that democratically elected parliaments in each country of the agreement must agree in the end. Who benefits from this development?International fall Edelman to names of politicians such as Donald Trump or Marine Le Pen a.

Public confidence in elites decreases

In times of a new industrial revolution, which has the digitization of the entire value chain in the economic result, is added another worrisome finding. The skepticism about innovation is increasing in the general population. And the expectation of governments to regulate the market more, is diametrically opposed to the wishes of the economy, not to overdo it exactly in this point. The confidence barometer survey from Edelman message is perfectly clear on this point, however: The general population has become quite clearly too high, the pace of innovation. Here you want to see slow down the state and its representatives.

In more than 60 percent of the countries that were included by Edelman to the survey, the confidence of the masses in politics, business, NGOs and the media, however, is even fallen below a level of 50 percent. In marked contrast, the confidence of the elites has risen and is at the highest levels since the survey began. The average gap in confidence in the four institutions has grown between the elites and the general population to 12 percentage points. In the United States, the difference is 19 percentage points, suggesting the elites in the country on a huge disaffection the general population. In Germany, there are 9 points, here, however, on a constant level. Because the trust barometer also shows that each major differences with the income inequality in the countries concerned are related.

Discrepancy between elites and broad mass

Fittingly, in two-thirds of the countries surveyed, less than half the general population thinks it you better go than even five years ago. Also that is remarkable in view of a steady economic recovery: Is the observation match the reality, the profits made are disproportionately ended up in the hands of the higher-earning elite. This development is likely the debate about where the future flow automation dividends from the digitization of the economy, provide new food.

Hardly surprising, therefore, is that the biggest difference between the elite and the wider population is then also be seen in the attitude towards the economy and the company. While the confidence of elite has risen sharply in the economy, given the good economic in recent years, prevails in the crowd in front of deep skepticism. This skepticism is particularly high in certain sectors - and the financial services covered here still to strongly negative. There is a gap of more than 20 percentage points between the resurgent confidence of the elite in the industry and the general population.

The image of the greedy Bankers remains influential

The data that Media Tenor has collected through the analysis of the media coverage in the past year, confirm - and more: because the crisis of confidence is not confined to the financial sector. The diesel and emissions scandal at Volkswagen has led to resignations of once highly esteemed managers like the VW CEO Martin Winterkorn, will cost the shareholders of the Group's many billions of euros and has damaged not only the reputation of the automaker, but the entire German economy, as Susanne Marell Notes of Edelmann.

"But the public image of the banking sector deteriorated again," says Roland Schatz of Media Tenor - rights issues and the effectiveness of regulation stood still in the focus of media coverage. "Some banks were indeed able to convey a message of improvement, but the overall impression remains," says Schatz. So the new leadership of Deutsche Bank mediate among the Britons John Cryan currently although the feeling of a new beginning. But the overall impression is to act within remains of an industry that is dominated by the poorly educated, greedy managers. Account must be taken, however, that the German media tended compared to the United States or Great Britain to a particularly critical enterprise reporting. In fact, the image that has the general population from the banks, namely recently improved somewhat again as the trust barometer of Edelman shows has.

Tupperware shows how it works

For this survey, there is also that companies will always be given the chance to regain confidence quickly back. For confidence in the Chairman's basically risen again significantly - unlike the people involved in politics. The company will also have expected, the rapid transformation of the economy to cope better than politics, whose confidence levels are on the ground. 80 percent of the population at large expect companies to know both increase profits and contribute to improving the economic and social conditions in the communities in which they operate.

A good example of this is in the eyes of Edelman, the company Tupperware: Nearly 3.1 million women in countries such as China, India, Indonesia and South Africa make sales for the company - and bring much needed money home to their families. But the bosses, for example, Unilever or Starbucks would have made it through appropriate action in the past few months to improve the image of their business significantly in the public notices Susanne Marell from Edelman.