Trust is rising in Malaysia, but so is the distrust of differences

Malaysia has emerged as one of the world’s most trusted nations, according to the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, but the report warns that growing social division and economic anxiety could challenge that advantage moving forward.

The study found Malaysia’s overall Trust Index rose to 71 this year, up from 66 in 2025, placing the country seventh globally out of 28 markets surveyed. Trust across business, government, NGOs and media all remained within “trust territory”, a distinction achieved by fewer than half the markets surveyed.

Yet beneath those strong institutional scores lies a more fractured social reality.

According to the report, 65% of Malaysians hold what Edelman describes as an “insular trust mindset”, meaning they are hesitant or unwilling to trust people with differing values, beliefs, backgrounds or approaches to societal issues.

Don't miss: APAC trust gap hits record high as income disparity doubles

At the same time, 87% of Malaysians believe distrust between people with differences has escalated to the point where individuals actively try to make things worse for one another, the highest figure recorded globally.

Mazuin Zin, CEO of Edelman Malaysia and senior advisor for Southeast Asia, said Malaysia’s trust gains now face a more difficult challenge beyond institution-building.

“Malaysia has earned its place among the world’s most trusted nations. But the trust Malaysians have built is largely trust within familiar circles,” she said, adding that bridging those divides will be critical for the country’s next phase of growth.

The findings also point to growing caution around information consumption and foreign influence. Only 37% of Malaysians actively seek information from sources with differing political viewpoints on a weekly basis, while 73% worry foreign actors are intentionally spreading misinformation to inflame domestic divisions, the second-highest figure globally.

Economic uncertainty is further shaping public sentiment. Only 39% of Malaysians believe the next generation will be better off than today, marking a seven-point decline from last year.

The report also highlighted widening income-based trust gaps across the Asia Pacific region, with Malaysia recording a nine-point divide between high and low-income groups.

For brands and employers, the findings suggest rising expectations around trust-building and social cohesion. In Asia Pacific, 77% of employees believe employers have a responsibility to actively bridge divides between groups that distrust each other, though only 54% believe businesses are doing so effectively.

Malaysians also appear to favour collaborative approaches over polarising corporate positions. When responding to divisive social issues, 38% said businesses build the most trust by encouraging cooperation and shared solutions without taking sides.

For marketers, the 2026 Trust Barometer also highlighted how established social media relationships can influence institutional trust.

Among Malaysians who trust a financial influencer, 57% said they would still trust the influencer if they endorsed a financial services company they previously distrusted, and would also consider trusting the company itself.

The effect was even stronger for food and lifestyle influencers, with 62% saying they would continue trusting the influencer if they promoted a food brand they distrusted, while also becoming more open to trusting the company.

From a wider regional lens, the income-based trust gap in the Asia Pacific has reached a historic high, more than doubling over the last 14 years. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer 2026, the disparity between high- and low-income earners has surged from seven points in 2012 to 16 points today.

The report also identified four critical factors currently reshaping the psychological and economic landscape of APAC. First is a stronger preference for the familiar: trust in companies headquartered in respondents’ own country is higher than trust in foreign-headquartered companies in all seven APAC markets included in the analysis including China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia and Thailand.

Second is a more inward-facing information environment, reflected in a six-point year-on-year decline globally in getting information from sources with a different political leaning at least weekly. 

Third is a widening mass-class divide, with the regional trust gap between high- and low-income respondents now at 16 points. 

Fourth is the uneven optimism across APAC markets. Just 31% in Singapore and 36% in Thailand say the next generation will be better off than today, with double-digit year-on-year declines in Singapore, Thailand, India, and China. Concern about foreign actors spreading falsehoods has also risen by double digits in 6 of 9 APAC markets since 2021.

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