Local companies headquartered in respondents' own country enjoy a clear trust advantage over foreign-headquartered firms across all seven APAC markets analysed, according to the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer that surveyed nearly 34,000 respondents across 28 countries.
The gap is stark. Trust in locally-headquartered companies exceeds foreign-headquartered ones by 29 points in Japan, 28 points in both Singapore and South Korea, 18 points in Malaysia, 17 points in China, 15 points in India, and 14 points in Thailand. For multinational brands that position themselves as modern and borderless, this signals local identity now outweighs global scale when it comes to trust.
That same preference for similarity is reshaping workplaces. Edelman found 48% of employees would rather switch departments than report to a manager with different values, 40% say they'd put less effort into helping project leaders with differing political beliefs succeed, and 42% would support reducing foreign companies even if it meant higher prices.
Overall, the report's central finding ties these threads together, with 67% across APAC saying they're unwilling or hesitant to trust people different from them in values, societal views or background. This isn't background noise, it's already affecting collaboration, consumer behaviour and leadership credibility.
Fears of foreign-driven disinformation are also surging,
with concern about deliberate falsehoods rising by double digits in six of nine
APAC markets. Including in Malaysia +11 points, Indonesia +15, Thailand +12, Singapore +18, Japan +20, and South Korea +21. Exposure to politically-opposite sources weekly has fallen six
points globally, suggesting shrinking information diets that reinforce existing
divides.
Income-based trust gap doubles
The income-based trust gap has more than doubled since 2012, widening from seven to 16 points. High-income respondents score 70 on the APAC Trust Index versus 54 for low-income respondents, showing trust now fractures along economic lines too.
Meanwhile, optimism for younger generations is fading fast. Just 31% in Singapore and 36% in Thailand believe the next generation will be better off, with double-digit year-on-year declines in Singapore, Thailand, India and China.
Despite these fractures, business remains the most trusted institution in APAC. The report shows 64% of respondents trust business to do what is right, higher than media (54%), government (53%) and NGOs (58%) across the nine markets surveyed. Employers score even stronger at 78% trust among employees.
This gives companies a clear advantage, but with rising expectations. While trust levels hold firm, a 29-point performance gap exists on actually bridging societal divides. Business is expected to do much more, especially as employers are seen as best-positioned to foster cooperation across differences. For brands, this turns trust into an active leadership role, not just a reputation metric.
For APAC business leaders and marketers, trust is no longer broad and shiny. It's increasingly local and values-driven. Winners will be brands that feel authentically rooted locally, align with core beliefs, and bridge divides, because audiences now prioritise familiarity over scale and global flash.
Source: Campaign Asia Pacific
