Young Consumers Drive Surge in Trust for Advertising: What You Need to Know!

Growing Trust in Advertising

Research from the Advertising Association (AA) indicates that trust in advertising has risen from 36% to 39% over the past year, with a significant contribution from young people.

Trust Across Age Groups

Trust in ads has seen growth across all age demographics, particularly a 16-point increase among 18-34-year-olds since 2022. In stark contrast, those aged 55 and older have only experienced a three-point rise, suggesting younger audiences are nearly three times more likely to trust advertising than their older counterparts.

The Generational Divide

The UK advertising think tank Credos attributes this disparity to a “generational digital divide.” Younger generations are increasingly placing their trust in online advertising, while older generations show significantly lower levels of trust. Specifically, 51% of 18-34s trust online ads, compared to 34% of those aged 35-54 and just 14% of individuals over 55. Trust in social media advertising is even lower among older generations, with only 7% of those over 55 expressing confidence in it, while 47% of young consumers trust it.

Media Trust Rankings

TV and cinema continue to be the most trusted media channels, especially among the 18-34 age group, where 56% trust cinema ads. The Advertising Association emphasizes the importance of investing in brand advertising to build consumer trust further.

Source: The Advertising Association

Factors Contributing to Increased Trust

Dan Wilks, Director of Credos, suggests that various factors have contributed to the increase in trust in 2024, including a strong festive ad season and a resurgence of humorous advertising post-pandemic. Furthermore, the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) national ad awareness campaign has also played a role in boosting trust scores. The campaign ran for the third time in 2024, aiming to enhance public awareness of the advertising industry’s regulatory systems.

Notable Campaign Insights

Research from October 2024 revealed that 36% of UK adults recalled seeing ASA ads, and those who did were more than twice as likely to trust the industry than those who didn't.

A Shift in Consumer Trust

For the first time in a decade, advertising has climbed off the bottom of the trustworthiness rankings. In June 2023, only 26% of UK consumers trusted the government and media, while 30% trusted advertising, marking a 7% increase since 2022.

Source: The Advertising Association

The medical profession remains the most trusted industry at 73%, followed by banking (48%), telecoms (43%), and energy (32%).