Eight out of 10 Australians trust their employer, while barely half trust the government, adding weight to the argument that business is best placed to help hasten the stuttering vaccine rollout.

A half-year update of the closely watched Edelman Trust barometer reveals a rapid decline in trust in government, business and media. It erases record gains made during the early stages of the pandemic last year and appears to reflect confusion over the vaccine rollout, the Facebook media blackout and Canberra’s gender problems.