A Person Like Me

According to the latest Edelman Trust Barometer, a "person like me" is likely to be the single most influential source of information - But what does a person like me look like?

• “Shares my interests” and “holds similar political beliefs” continue to be the top two defining factors of “a person like me” in most countries, with a slight drop in the U.K., France, and Germany for “shares my interests” (67% to 61%).
• Being from the same local community dropped in importance over the past year, in some countries quite significantly: Ireland to 29% from 51%; Russia to 28% from 47%; Sweden to 9% from 27%; the U.K. to 18% from 44%; and the United States to 24% from 44%.
• Since last year’s survey, being in the same profession dropped in importance: China to 36% from 46%; India to 36% from 63%; Japan to 32% from 46%; Russia to 31% from 51%; South Korea to 27% from 46%; the U.K. to 31% from 46%; and the United States to 23% from 35%.