Younger generations are more inclined to turn to hostile activism, as optimism for their future deteriorates, results from the newly released Edelman Trust Barometer survey show.

The annual survey of 33,000 respondents across 28 countries showed just over one-third of respondents believe that the next generation will be better off compared to today. Among Canadians respondents, that number is even lower, at only 21 per cent.  

Over half of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 approved of “hostile activism” to drive change, while that number decreased to 40 per cent among all age groups. Hostile activism includes attacking people online, intentionally spreading disinformation, threatening or committing violence, or damaging property to enact change.

“It’s been a progression from fears, to polarization, now into grievance,” CEO Richard Edelman said in a video accompanying the report.

Elections didn’t improve trust: The report also pointed to general distrust of leaders, with the report’s central index—the trust index, which surveys business, government, media and non-governmental organizations—remaining at 56 per cent globally.

In Canada, the trust index dropped marginally from 53 to 52 per cent over the last year, though it’s unclear if the election in 2025 will have a significant impact on public trust in the country. Almost half of the countries surveyed held elections last year, and they didn’t have a notable impact on most trust indices. 

Many people are aggrieved with business, government or the rich. Sixty-one per cent of global respondents had a “moderate” or “high” sense of grievance, believing business and government serve few and hurt regular people, “the rich are getting richer” or “the system favours the rich.” In Canada, 22 per cent had a high grievance mindset.

Concerns around job insecurity: Worries around automation as a threat to job security rose five percentage points over the last year, to 58 per cent of respondents. Meanwhile, economic pressures like a looming recession rose three per cent from last year, and fears of international trade conflicts, foreign competitors and offshoring as threats to job insecurity all rose more than five percentage points.

Globally, trust in employers fell by three points since last year, from 78 to 75 per cent. In Canada, trust in employers fell two points. 

Demand for more action: Over 60 per cent of respondents with a high-grievance mindset said businesses aren’t doing enough to address issues like affordability and climate change. Over half of high-grievance respondents said businesses needed to go further to respond to issues like misinformation, retraining or discrimination. The report showed that trust was correlated with  economic optimism.