Global Trustworthiness in the Oil and Gas Sector

COVID-19 restrictions placed on everyday life, including lockdowns and international travel bans, greatly reduced both domestic and international travel around the world. For many it meant putting a pause on commuting, and instead working from home or going to school online. Some businesses have had to rethink and localize the logistics of their supply chains. With the world seemingly on pause for much of 2020 and 2021 the demand and cost of oil subsequently fell.

Beyond the pandemic, the public was exposed to – either lived through or via screen – a notable increase in ‘freak’ weather phenomena, in the form of flash floods, brutal heatwaves, and wildfires. For many, it felt like climate change was no longer coming - it had already arrived. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, oil and gas companies, responsible for the majority of global emissions, have found themselves under ever-increasing scrutiny and opposition. Climate protests have become more common among organised groups such as Extinction Rebellion in the UK, and the build-up to international events such as COP26 have gained extensive mainstream media coverage (although the event itself took place after 2021 fieldwork was conducted). The media narrative has escalated from talking about the world facing climate change to a ‘climate crisis.’ But at the same time, this period has seen a series of announcements and strategy pivots, (e.g., Shell and BP announcing net-zero targets, Total re-branding to Total Energies) through which the major, global extractive businesses have aimed to communicate what they are doing to transition to greener energy and keep planetary warning at levels compliant with international climate frameworks. 

Against this backdrop, Ipsos asks, how have levels of trustworthiness in oil and gas companies changed over the last two years?

In the report and the short video above we provide an overview of global trustworthiness in oil and gas companies including; variations of trustworthiness by country, trust driver performance over time and how oil and gas companies can become more trustworthy.

• Read the full article within the Ipsos Global Trustworthiness Monitor report here.