Hispanics trust small companies more than big ones, says Richard Edelman of Edelman PR firm

Richard Edelman, CEO of the Edelman public relations firm, said that even though two years ago Hispanics were found to have the lowest levels of trust among the four main ethnic groups in the U.S., this year the community “for the first time showed itself to be much more trusting than any other ethnic group” in the country. Edelman, who gave the presentation The State of Trust among U.S. Hispanics during a session of the Hispanic Leadership Summit, reported that business is now the sector that enjoys the greatest level of trust among Hispanics (57 percent) and is tied with NGOs, followed by the media with 52 percent and the government with 50 percent. A substantial difference was found in how much Hispanics trust small and big companies – the small ones reach up to 70 percent and the big ones a mere 50 percent. “The Hispanic community is completely clear about its need for businesses to do the right thing.” Edelman said, adding that if a company keeps them in mind and speaks to them directly, they are four times more likely to buy that brand, and as employees they are five times more likely to work in favor of the company, be loyal to it and promote it.