The stakeholder landscape has fundamentally changed, as authority fragments, trust becomes scarce and influence no longer flows from a single, predictable center of gravity.
FGS Global Radar 2026 identifies the atomization of stakeholders as one of the defining features of a rewired world. For leaders across politics, business and civil society, this creates major challenges as the era of shared narratives and stable influence hierarchies is over.
A fragmented trust environment
Across the 27 democracies polled, trust is uneven, contested and increasingly detached from traditional institutions.
61% of people believe that mainstream news media have their own agenda and cannot be trusted to report fairly. Meanwhile, politicians rank as the least trusted source of information in every country surveyed, with AI tools commanding comparable or greater confidence in some markets.
At the same time, 47% of people report feeling disconnected from the society around them. Social isolation and information fragmentation are reinforcing one another, fueling polarization and populism.
In only two of the 27 countries polled - Denmark and Finland - do more people trust mainstream media than mistrust it. This indicates a structural shift in how authority is perceived, rather than a mere dip.
Influence without a center of gravity
In a traditional stakeholder model, leaders could map influence predictably, if not easily: government, regulators, investors, media and employees formed a relatively coherent ecosystem. Messages could be calibrated and delivered through established channels. That model no longer holds.
Influence now flows through decentralized networks - peer-to-peer communities, niche digital platforms, algorithmically amplified content and AI-mediated information systems. Large language models are increasingly displacing search engines as gateways to information, reshaping how reputations are formed and how narratives gain traction.
Without a single monolithic public opinion to engage, leaders now face multiple, competing realities - each with their own trusted sources, facts and emotional drivers. The result is a splintered stakeholder landscape where complexity struggles to compete with simplicity, and where provocation gets more attention than careful, nuanced thinking.
Disengagement as a strategy
Fragmentation combines noise with withdrawal and disengagement.
17% of people say they consciously choose entertainment over engaging with current affairs to avoid what is happening in the world, rising to one in four (25%) among Gen Z. When presented with a choice between a comforting illusion and a difficult reality, more than a quarter (27%) opt for illusion.
This creates a paradox: companies can leverage more channels than ever to communicate, but shrinking attention and growing emotional fatigue among audiences mean they are harder than ever to engage. However, leaders shouldn’t mistake this defensive response to feeling overwhelmed and powerless for public apathy.
What this means for leadership strategy
In an atomized environment, traditional assumptions about stakeholder engagement must evolve.
First, influence mapping must become dynamic. The critical voices shaping perception may not sit within formal institutions or established media, but within online communities and AI-driven platforms.
Second, legitimacy cannot rely on institutional authority alone. When trust in politicians, governments and mainstream media is low, credibility must be earned repeatedly, through clarity, consistency and visible action.
Third, storytelling becomes a strategic capability. In a landscape that rewards simplicity and repetition, leaders must distill complex strategies into messages that resonate across fragmented audiences without sacrificing integrity.
Above all, leaders must recognize that disengagement and distrust change how messages are received. Technical explanations and long-term promises will struggle unless they connect directly to lived experience and near-term impact.
FGS Global Radar 2026
Atomized stakeholders are just one dimension of a broader rewiring explored in Radar 2026. Drawing on 175 in-depth interviews with senior global leaders and polling of 20,000 people across major democracies, the report examines where trust is breaking down, how influence is shifting, and what that means for politics, business and society.
Download the full report to explore the data, expert perspectives, and strategic implications shaping the year ahead.
