Latest news with #2024EdelmanTrustBarometer
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
In an Era of Mistrust on Health Information, Employers Are Key
Regina Bell of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) speaks at the rally at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Credit - Jemal Countess—Getty Images/ Fair Share America In an era of growing mistrust, employers hold a unique position of influence. They remain among the most trusted institutions, particularly by their own employees. According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, workers consider businesses to be twice as competent as the U.S. government in providing credible information—outpacing nonprofits and the media as well. People want to make informed decisions based on reliable information, and they're increasingly open to receiving that information from their employers. This trend is not new. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers stepped up to fill an information void. They provided accurate, timely health guidance on everything from indoor air quality to vaccine safety. For instance, Amazon—the nation's second-largest employer—invested heavily in direct employee engagement to promote vaccination. These efforts went beyond emails or posters; they included one-on-one outreach, peer-to-peer advocacy, and mobile vaccination units. Today, even as health concerns evolve, Amazon continues this model with daily wellness huddles and injury-prevention discussions across its warehouses. As we move beyond the pandemic, the need for trusted health communication remains urgent. Employers are well-positioned to continue this work, not just because of their trustworthiness, but because they have a vested interest in healthier, more informed employees. Healthy workers are more productive, miss fewer days, and contribute to lower healthcare costs—an ongoing concern for many companies. Likewise, educated employees are more likely to understand and make efficient use of increasingly expensive employer-sponsored health benefits. One survey conducted by UnitedHealthcare found that 56% of workers with access to effective employer health promotion programs reported fewer sick days, a finding that has been replicated in multiple geographies. Other evidence has shown that employers earn $3.27 back in direct medical costs more for every $1 spent on wellness programs, which directly increase employee knowledge and engagement in nutrition and health-related topics. While the need for effective health communication remains, many traditional sources are vanishing. Investments in public health campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels have shrunk—or are disappearing altogether. This void, combined with the rise of online misinformation, means that if employers don't speak up, employees may turn instead to social media algorithms, self-proclaimed wellness influencers, or podcasters. Read More: What the New 'Make America Healthy Again' Report Says About Children's Health Employers can't afford to be passive. They must actively identify the pressing health challenges their workforce faces—from mental health struggles and poor air quality due to wildfires, to new treatments such as GLP-1 weight-loss medications. With thoughtful, engaging strategies, they can ensure credible, science-based information reaches their workforce. It may feel like a daunting task in today's polarized climate, but many employers—and unions—are already rising to the challenge. Kim Thibodeaux, head of the Northeast Business Group on Health, which represents the health interests of nearly 80 of the nation's largest employers, is prioritizing investing in scalable ways to provide trusted health information content to employer partners. We are partnering with Kim and her team to provide timely, accurate, digestible health information on a range of topics in an omnichannel format. In a similar vein, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) with over 2 million members nationwide, has begun offering free, monthly national town halls to their membership and general public to discuss topics such as perimenopause, ADHD, youth mental health, and measles with topical national experts like the recent past American Academy of Pediatrics President Dr. Ben Hoffman. Social media is leveraged to the fullest extent, with 30-40 second, high-impact sound bites from town halls or Q&As shared widely across Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms to improve reach. As public trust erodes and traditional health communication channels falter, the workplace remains a widely trusted space. Employers and unions who embrace this responsibility can become powerful agents of public health—helping their people make informed decisions, combat misinformation, and feel seen and supported in the process. By investing in credible, creative, and consistent health messaging, employers have the power to not only improve health outcomes but also rebuild faith in science and institutions—and in each other. The question is no longer whether employers should play this role, but how quickly they can rise to meet it. Contact us at letters@
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How the "wallet test" shows our need for a social safety net
'The most important decision we make,' a quote often attributed to Albert Einstein, 'is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.' This isn't just philosophical musing. According to the 2025 World Happiness Report, this belief might be one of the most politically urgent questions of our time — because when we stop trusting each other, democracy begins to unravel. A few years ago, I found a wallet in the back of a New York City cab. Cash, credit cards, and doctor's office cards — it would have been easy to leave it with the driver or at a random lost and found. Instead, I spent the entire morning tracking down the owner by calling a number from a medical card inside. Eventually, her doctor's office connected us. When she called me, she was stunned that someone had gone to such lengths to return it. As I shared this story, a coworker told me someone returned her wallet a full week after she'd lost it. And there's more: I once dropped my driver's license — far more valuable to me than any wallet — on Canal Street, an area known more for knockoff handbags than random kindness. A month later, it appeared in my mailbox without a note or explanation — just proof someone cared enough to return it. These stories aren't rare. The World Happiness Report cites a global experiment — originally published in Science — where researchers 'lost' wallets to see if people would return them. Most people assumed the wallets wouldn't come back, especially if they contained cash. But the opposite happened: wallets with money were returned far more often than expected — in many cases, even more than those without cash. We're living through a time of deep political unrest, with populist movements, democratic backsliding, and extremism rising worldwide. The common thread? Mistrust. The World Happiness Report clearly shows that life satisfaction correlates more strongly with trust than income, employment or education. It's not just about what we have — it's about our beliefs regarding the people around us. Often, we focus on distrust in institutions like government, media and science, but maybe the deeper issue is our distrust of each other. The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals a global crisis of mistrust —across governments, media and even the innovation shaping our future. In the U.S., that mistrust has become deeply polarized, with a 22-point gap in trust in innovation between Democrats and Republicans. But this divide didn't emerge on its own — it's been strategically amplified by leaders, media outlets, and digital platforms that thrive on division and outrage. When mistrust is left to grow, it doesn't just erode our faith in institutions — it turns us against one another. We stop engaging with people who think differently and we stop collaborating. Despite the growing mistrust, national polling might tell a different story. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid enjoy broad bipartisan support from 79% of Americans — including 88% of Democrats, 78% of independents, and 70% of Republicans. Additionally, 77% oppose pausing infectious disease research, and 68% oppose revoking FDA approval for childhood vaccines. Even private insurance companies face similar levels of mistrust from both Democrats and Republicans, despite differing views on health care solutions. And 72% of both Republicans and Democrats support increased federal spending on veterans' policy, a 2023 poll by The McCourtney Institute for Democracy found that a strong majority of Americans prefer democracy over other forms of government, challenging the myth of a hopelessly divided nation. Taken together, this data suggests that beneath the surface-level noise, Republicans and Democrats still place trust in some of the social programs that support us all — and in democracy itself. It also raises a deeper question: if we still believe in some of the same foundational values, shouldn't we begin to trust each other a little more — and work together to preserve them? A long-term budget resolution passed by the House in February 2025 includes deep proposed cuts to essential social programs — cuts that would affect millions of Americans, regardless of political affiliation. These cuts include substantial reductions to Medicaid, endangering health care for mothers, infants and vulnerable families. Social Security offices are closing in the name of 'efficiency,' making it harder for older adults to access critical services. Veterans' benefits are on the chopping block, with job losses at the Department of Veterans Affairs and reduced dividends from VA-managed life insurance policies. At the same time, despite broad public support, we've seen no meaningful progress on gun safety legislation or affordable prescription drug reforms for seniors. Insurance companies continue to deny medically necessary treatments without consequence — and there's still no bipartisan legislation requiring them to pay for the care people need. You might be frustrated that your neighbor disagrees with your political views — or even angry about how they vote. But here's the reality: unless we come together, the social programs that benefit all of us — programs supported by the majority of Republicans and Democrats — are at risk. Maybe the problem isn't just political division. Maybe we're speaking through politicians and pundits instead of to each other. What if we rethought our approach? We don't have to agree on everything to stand for something essential. Democracy isn't just a political system—it's a relationship we build with one another. And maybe, just maybe, we've forgotten that most of us would return each other's wallets with the cash still inside. Trusting each other again on some level could be what saves our country—and the essential social programs that reflect our shared care for one another.
