The Edelman's 23rd Trust Barometer is out, and distrust is growing. This year's theme is "Navigating a polarized world" where trust is challenged by:

• Economic anxieties as people increasingly question whether their families will be better off in five years.
• While low, trust in business and government has stayed the same. However, distrust in NGOs and media has increased.
• Especially low trust in traditional media, leaving a vacuum for sources of truth.

Underlying this increasing polarization is the perception of systematic unfairness. People feel disenfranchised and seek leadership to voice their needs and concerns. This is especially seen in the trust class divide where trust is higher for the top quartile of income earners than those in the bottom quartile

While the latest Edelman Trust Barometer report claims that consumers want CEOs to step into the void left by the government, I think that results point in another direction.

Trust in CEOs has dropped more than in government leaders, even when it is the CEO of respondents' own companies. Overwhelmingly, 4x more survey respondents prefer government and businesses to work in partnership to solve today's most pressing issues over business alone.

So, why has the laser focus on ESG over the past two years not increased trust?