An Untrustworthy Barometer: Edelman Polling Promotes Clients’ Standing in Society

The report by Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) critiques the Edelman Trust Barometer, alleging that the PR firm uses 'organized lying' and opaque data to promote the idea that business leaders are the most trusted figures in society. It highlights contradictions between Edelman's findings and other research from the UN and University of Oxford, particularly regarding public trust in corporate climate efforts. Furthermore, the document exposes a conflict of interest, noting that while Edelman claims climate change is a major crisis, it maintains extensive contracts with major fossil fuel companies including Shell, Chevron, and TotalEnergies.

• Edelman is accused of using opaque and inconsistent data methodologies in its Trust Barometer, including a 2024 admission that its China data "might be 50% accurate" and a failure to share raw data with researchers.
• The report claims the Trust Barometer is designed to preserve business interests by portraying businesses as the only trusted institution, a narrative described by Professor Lee Edwards as "organized lying" that erases factual truths and ignores NGOs.

APA

Climate Action Against Disinformation (n.d.). An Untrustworthy Barometer: Edelman Polling Promotes Clients’ Standing in Society. https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/An-Untrustworthy-Barometer_-Edelman-Polling-Promotes-Clients-Standing-in-Society.pdf

Chicago

Climate Action Against Disinformation. An Untrustworthy Barometer: Edelman Polling Promotes Clients’ Standing in Society. n.d. https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/An-Untrustworthy-Barometer_-Edelman-Polling-Promotes-Clients-Standing-in-Society.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Action Against Disinformation |title=An Untrustworthy Barometer: Edelman Polling Promotes Clients’ Standing in Society |url=https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/An-Untrustworthy-Barometer_-Edelman-Polling-Promotes-Clients-Standing-in-Society.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateactionagainstdisinformationnduntrustworthy, author = {{Climate Action Against Disinformation}}, title = {{An Untrustworthy Barometer: Edelman Polling Promotes Clients’ Standing in Society}}, institution = {Climate Action Against Disinformation}, url = {https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/An-Untrustworthy-Barometer_-Edelman-Polling-Promotes-Clients-Standing-in-Society.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }