More Malaysians Fear Losing Jobs Than Getting COVID-19

The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer survey found that getting Covid-19 was not what Malaysians fear most. Though 77% of respondents said they fear Covid-19 infection, a whopping 89% were most fearful about losing their jobs.

The survey also reported that they were also worried about:

Cybersecurity (77%)
Climate change (76%)
Losing their personal freedom (71%)

The Covid-19 pandemic also seems to have increased fears they had before it. 65% of respondents worry that they will lose their jobs as the pandemic forces companies to accelerate the move to automation. 53% of respondents said that they have "witnessed layoffs or reductions in the workforce of the company they work for."

The 21st annual trust barometer surveyed about 28 countries, involving 33,000 respondents, or about 1,150 persons per country. 1 out of 5 respondents consists of those from the high-income bracket with a college education. The pollsters defined them as "informed public" aged between 25 to 64. They defined the rest as the "mass", with or without education, to represent 83% of the world population.

The barometer measured respondents' trust in four main institutions in each respective nation:

The government,
Businesses,
NGOs, and
The Media.

Malaysia saw the scores in all sectors increase in 2021's trust index, but the firm said trust is built on fragile foundations, attributed to public fear of the pandemic.

"The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that trust in all Malaysian institutions...has increased as a result of assertive action in response to the pandemic," it said in a statement.

"However, in the era of information bankruptcy, trust remains fragile and dependent on how institutions fare in leading with real-world actions in the post-pandemic era."

Malaysians trust their employers more than the media and government

Malaysia delivered an average Trust Index score of 66 points, improving by six points from 2020 and ascending two spots to the 7th position on the Global Trust Index ranking.

A majority of the trust was towards employers, who earned the highest score of 68 points. The firm said its survey showed most people had lost faith in the "traditional markers of information credibility", which lead to an epidemic of misinformation.

Journalists totalled the lowest trust score at only 51 points, while government officials scored 53 points.

The poll showed "Malaysians are seeking alternative sources for information, increasingly leaning in on social media (+9 points) and search (+4 points) to shape their opinions rather than conventional media channels."

The study found that only 29% of Malaysians practise good information hygiene. Good information hygiene means knowing the best practices to manage one's information diet. 65% of Malaysian respondents tend to share or forward news items that they believe to be interesting.

Only a third practice good information hygiene, implying that most Malaysians consume and disseminate a significant amount of unvetted information.

Edelman suggested that the media distrust could have also fed into the vaccine hesitancy among respondents. Only 28% of respondents willing to get vaccinated said they wished to do so immediately, while 41% would favour waiting six months to a year.

Businesses have emerged as the most credible and trusted source of information for a majority of Malaysians.

Up to 66% had voted "My Employer" as the most trusted source of information to help steer the crisis. This percentage is even higher than government communications (60%) and news media reports (63%).

The firm said this presents the biggest chance for businesses to gain trust by serving as a guardian of information quality, which improved the likelihood of trust by over 5%.

Source: Malay Mail

Articles that might interest you
You Can Now File Labour Complaints Online via Working for Workers
Human Resources Minister Said Act 446 Was Not Suspended
Do You Need Police Permit When Crossing Districts for Work?