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Brands are deemed increasingly more trustworthy than other sectors of society, according to the newly released 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer.
The Trust Barometer surveyed more than 15,000 people across 15 countries to find out how much they trust brands, and what factors contribute to that.
When the survey participants were asked if a range of sources can be relied on “to do what is right,” eight out of 10 (80 percent) gave the thumbs-up to brands. In second place was “my employer” (79 percent), followed by business (65 percent), NGOs (60 percent), media (55 percent) and government (54 percent).
The overall power of brands seems to be growing as well, with 68 percent of participants in the new survey saying they “trust brands in general,” as opposed to 56 percent in the June 2022 edition of the Trust Barometer.
For the other social institutions (business, government, media, NGOs), the overall trust rate has stalled, remaining at 55 percent over the last three years.
However, trust across all brands is hardly uniform. One element separating brands is related to tariffs and the ongoing trade wars.
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The fear of higher prices is felt by a majority of respondents in each of the 15 countries surveyed, with more than three quarters (76 percent) globally saying that they expected their cost of living to rise. South Africans were most pessimistic (89 percent) while in Germany the number was only 64 percent. The US was also less fearful than most, with 67 percent anticipating price hikes.
Perhaps because of that, respondents generally had a more positive view of brands based closer to home. Globally, 75 percent of them said they trusted domestic brands, while only 60 percent trusted foreign brands. That gap was widest, at 30 percent (70 vs. 40), in Germany and lowest, at 4 percent (85 vs. 81), in the UAE.
The Trust Barometer also found that people want brands to show a personal touch in their interactions. Among the things respondents want brands to do is “make me feel good” (68 percent), “give me optimism” (62 percent), “help me do good” (61 percent) and “provide me with community” (51 percent).
In addition, 64 percent of respondents said they “buy, choose or avoid brands” based on their beliefs, and almost three quarters (73 percent) said a brand that “authentically reflects today’s culture” is one that they would be more likely to trust.
This being 2025, the Trust Barometer would be incomplete without a nod to AI. Not surprisingly, it’s a big deal across the board, with more than half (55 percent) saying they use generative AI-based platforms and more than nine out of 10 (91 percent) noting that they use AI in some way for shopping.
Edelman’s study of more than 1,000 consumers in each of the countries participating was conducted between April 24 and May 5.
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