Trust Has Gone Local: What the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer from Davos Means for Global B2B Tech Leaders

Brightrose
4 days ago
3 min read

Last week in Davos, Switzerland, during the annual World Economic Forum, Edelman unveiled the 2026 edition of the Edelman Trust Barometer - now in its 26th year.

For business leaders navigating global uncertainty, the findings landed with clarity and urgency: trust is narrowing, not expanding - and globalization has entered a new phase of friction.

For B2B technology companies pursuing international growth, this is no longer an abstract societal trend. It is a core GTM constraint.

The Trust Environment Has Fundamentally Shifted

The 2026 Trust Barometer highlights a world that is increasingly insular, skeptical, and relationship-driven:

Insularity now dominates trust formation70% of people are hesitant or unwilling to trust those with different values, facts, or cultural backgrounds.
Trust favors the familiar and the domesticMany developed markets show strong domestic trust advantages, reinforcing buyer bias against foreign companies.
Economic divides are widening trust gapsSince 2012, the trust gap between high- and low-income groups has more than doubled globally, with the U.S. now showing the largest gap.

For global B2B leaders, the implication is direct:

your brand does not automatically earn credibility just because it is known or well-funded.

Institutions Are No Longer the Primary Trust Brokers

One of the most important signals this year is the continued erosion of trust in institutions.

Across markets, people now trust:

Scientists (74%)
Teachers (70%)
Neighbors (61%)

…more than CEOs, media, or government leaders.

Even as expectations rise for institutions to “bridge divides,” performance continues to fall short - especially in government, media, and business.

The trust gap is no longer theoretical. It is operational.

Why ‘Finding #10’ Changes Global B2B Go-To-Market

Among the top ten findings, #10 stands out as the most actionable for B2B growth teams:

People are willing to trust - or reconsider trusting - companies they currently distrust if vouched for by someone they already trust.

This matters deeply in global markets where:

Buyers perceive foreign vendors as higher risk
Procurement cycles are conservative by design
Social and cultural similarity influences decision confidence

In B2B, “trusted voices” are not lifestyle influencers - they are:

Peers facing similar operational constraints
Customers in comparable regulatory or regional environments
Industry operators with lived experience

Trust is now transferred through proximity, not promotion.

Customer Advocacy Is Now a Trust Infrastructure Layer

For global B2B technology companies, customer advocacy has evolved from a marketing asset into trust infrastructure.

When executed intentionally, advocacy:

Reduces friction in new geographies
Anchors credibility in shared experience
Shortens sales cycles in skeptical markets
Offsets nationalist and insular bias

At Brightrose, we increasingly see advocacy outperform traditional demand generation as companies expand into Europe, APAC, and LATAM.

A Trend Seen Before the Data Caught Up

This shift did not emerge overnight.

Our Brightrose Ventures Managing Director of Growth Services Kristin Oelke identified this trajectory in her 2024 book - arguing that trust would migrate away from institutions and toward peer-based ecosystems as markets fractured socially and politically.

Since then, Kristin has expanded on this topic across industry events, sales meetings and podcasts, reinforcing a consistent message: customer advocacy is becoming the most scalable and defensible trust strategy in B2B growth.

What Global B2B Leaders Should Do Next

In a world where trust is increasingly local, relational, and selective, global expansion requires new muscle:

Design GTM motions around who is trusted - not just what is said
Build advocacy programs early, not after scale
Localize proof, not just messaging
Enable customers to speak credibly on your behalf

From Davos to day-to-day deal cycles, the message is clear: trust no longer travels on brand alone.

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