Though Canada is counted among “distrusting” nations for the second year in a row, Canadians have largely responded to the era of “fake news” with more trust in media institutions, journalists and government officials, according to a global survey.

Research firm Edelman Intelligence released the results of its 18th annual Trust Barometer, which seeks to measure trust and credibility of global audiences through online surveys, on Wednesday.

1,700 Canadians took the survey in October and November.

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Though more than half of respondents indicated they worry about “fake news being used as a weapon,” overall trust in media institutions and journalists has significantly increased this year, with a 17-point rise compared to last year.

The average trust in journalism is also up to 61 per cent, but only 28 per cent of survey respondents trust social media for their news.

Respondents were also skeptical about “what motivates news organizations,” the study found, with more than half believing that Canadian news organizations prioritize big audiences over reporting, sacrifice accuracy in favour of speed to break news and support institutional ideologies.

“Fears about fake news are pervasive, and we are seeing Canadians turn back to credentialed experts in their efforts to dispel them,” said Lisa Kimmel, President and CEO of Edelman Canada, in a news release.

Trust in academic experts increased, and so did that of government officials, but 46 per cent of Canadians believe that the government is “the most broken institution.” As a result, Canadians are placing more trust in businesses and CEOs to assume more responsibility on public change.

Businesses headquartered in Canada are also the most trusted globally, as per survey results from about 33,000 respondents around the world.

“The trust afforded to ‘Brand Canada’ is a significant opportunity for our businesses, but it is imperative that they are proactive in seizing it,” said Kimmel in the release. “We need to start leveraging those attributes that have made Canadian companies so trustworthy in the first place: our values and our sense of purpose.”

In Canada, non-governmental organizations continue to occupy the top spot for most trusted national institution, despite a nine-point drop in trust.

Despite an increase in these fields, Canada remains at the same spot as last year in the overall Trust Index, namely a “distruster” nation, because the average combined trust across all institutions — NGOs, business, government, and media — is at 49 per cent among the general population.

South of the border, the United States saw a record-breaking decline in trust across all institutions, with a total 37 point drop.

“This is the first time that a massive drop in trust has not been linked to a pressing economic issue or catastrophe like the Fukushima nuclear disaster,” said Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman, in a release.

“In fact, it’s the ultimate irony that it’s happening at a time of prosperity.”

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This includes a drastic drop in trust in government to 33 per cent among the general population and “informed public” — respondents who match criteria for education level, household income, and current affairs awareness — which sat at 47 per cent and 63 per cent respectively in 2017.

The average trust among the general U.S. population is the steepest drop ever measured by the survey.

Overall, the most trusted sectors are technology, education professional services, and transportation. On the flip side were financial services, consumer packaged goods, and the automotive sectors.