Customer Trust Statistics for 2026: Trust Gap Data, Brand Loyalty, Transparency, Data Privacy, AI Trust, Generational Differences, and Business Revenue Impact

In 2026, customer trust is simultaneously the most commercially valuable asset a company can possess and the hardest to measure accurately. The data from the most authoritative sources reveals a structural contradiction at the heart of modern business: 90% of executives believe their companies are highly trusted by customers, while only 30% of consumers agree a 60-percentage-point gap that is wider today than at any point in the prior three years of PwC’s longitudinal tracking. This disconnect is not merely a perception problem. Forty percent of consumers tell PwC they stopped buying from a company because they didn’t trust it. And 89% of customers say they expect to end their relationship with a brand if it violates their trust.

The financial stakes are concrete. Trust is now equal to price and quality as a purchase consideration according to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report on Brand Trust, which surveyed consumers across 14 global markets. Eighty-seven percent of shoppers will pay more for brands they trust, and companies establishing digital trust leadership see at least 10% annual revenue growth. Deloitte’s 2024 Connected Consumer Survey demonstrates the behavioral dividend directly: consumers who trust their technology providers spent 50% more on connected devices in the prior year than those with low trust. And brands earning high trust scores see NPS improvements, higher repurchase rates, and a measurably greater likelihood of forgiveness when service failures occur.

Yet trust is eroding in specific, well-documented ways. Fewer than half of consumers globally 48% in Deloitte’s 2025 survey, the lowest reading since 2019 believe the benefits of online services outweigh their privacy concerns. Only 14% of consumers feel confident their data is being handled responsibly. And consumer trust in AI is at a critical inflection point: 82% of consumers see AI data loss-of-control as a serious personal threat, 76% would switch brands for verified AI data transparency, and the drop in trust is measurable consumer trust in a brand drops by 144% when a customer believes the company is using AI without their knowledge.

This article compiles more than 100 verified customer trust statistics drawn from the latest figures published within the last two years. Statistics are organized into 10 thematic sections covering the trust gap and executive-consumer disconnect, trust as a revenue driver, brand transparency and communication, data privacy and trust, AI and digital trust, generational trust differences, loyalty and retention as trust outcomes, review and social proof trust, trust-building drivers and barriers, and regional and industry-specific benchmarks. Every statistic is cited separately with a direct link to its original source.

Scope and Methodology

Includes only publicly available customer trust statistics relevant for 2026.
Based on the latest figures published within the last two years.
Sources include primary research, first-party platform data, institutional studies, and industry reports.
Each statistic is listed separately with its original source and study context.
No estimates, forecasts, interpretations, or recommendations are included.

Key Customer Trust Statistics for 2026

90% of executives believe their companies are highly trusted by customers, while only 30% of consumers agree, a 60-percentage-point trust gap that is wider than the 57-point gap recorded in both 2023 and 2022, based on PwC’s 2024 Trust Survey of 548 business executives and 2,515 US consumers published by PwC (2024).
Trust is now equal to price and quality as a purchase consideration for consumers in 2025, based on the 7th annual Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Brand Trust surveying consumers across 14 global markets, published by Edelman (2025).
87% of shoppers will pay more for products from brands they trust in 2025, based on Salsify’s 2025 Consumer Research Report cited by Amra and Elma (2025).
40% of consumers stopped buying from a company in 2024 because they didn’t trust it, based on PwC’s 2024 Trust Survey of 548 executives and 2,515 US consumers published by PwC (2024).
Consumer trust in a brand drops by 144% when a customer believes a company is using AI without their knowledge, based on data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025).
81% of customers are not willing to engage in business or make purchases from brands they do not trust, and 89% of customers expect to end their relationship with a brand if it violates their trust, based on data published by TipsOnBlogging (2025).
Consumers who trust their technology providers to protect their data spent 50% more on connected devices in the prior year compared to those with low trust in their providers, based on Deloitte’s 2024 Connected Consumer Survey of 3,857 US consumers published by Deloitte (2024).
80% of people trust brands they use, which is more than those who trust business institutions, media, government, NGOs, and their employers, making consumer-facing brands among the most trusted entities in 2025, based on the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report published by Edelman (2025).
69% of Americans have abandoned a transaction due to distrust, 60% have used fake personal information when a site seems untrustworthy, and only 14% feel confident their data is being handled responsibly, based on Liquid Web’s Digital Trust Report surveying over 1,000 Americans published by Liquid Web (2025).
Companies establishing digital trust leadership see at least 10% annual revenue growth, based on data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025).

The Trust Gap and Executive-Consumer Disconnect Statistics

90% of business executives believe customers highly trust their companies, but only 30% of consumers actually do, a 60-point gap that is wider than the 57-point gap measured in both 2022 and 2023, based on PwC’s 2024 Trust Survey published by PwC (2024).
About nine out of ten executives say customer loyalty has grown in recent years, but only four in ten consumers agree, representing a blind spot with a direct line to lost revenue, based on PwC’s 2025 Customer Experience Survey of 406 executives and 5,511 consumers published by PwC (2025).
79% of B2C leaders believe their customers trust their brand, but only 52% of consumers reported that they actually do, based on Twilio’s Close the Trust Gap Report cited by CDP.com (2025).
70% of executives say customer expectations are outpacing their organization’s ability to adapt, creating the conditions under which trust erodes and competitors win, based on PwC’s 2025 Customer Experience Survey published by PwC (2025).
75% of executives say that since the pandemic they have had a harder time building and maintaining trust with their customers, and more than 7 in 10 consumers agree it is more important to trust brands today than in the past, based on data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025).
86% of business executives think employee trust in their companies is high, compared to only 67% of employees who say they highly trust their employer, an 18-point employee trust gap that is higher than in prior years, based on PwC’s 2024 Trust Survey published by PwC (2024).
70% of people believe business leaders deliberately mislead them, and only about 4 in 10 consumers say they are willing to forgive a company that fixes a bad situation, based on data published by Amra and Elma (2025) and PwC (2024).
71% of global consumers report that trust in brands and institutions is a “buy or boycott” factor in 2024, based on the Edelman 2024 Trust Barometer cited by Boston Brand Media (2025).

Trust as a Revenue Driver Statistics

Brands earning high trust generate measurably higher NPS, higher repurchase rates, and a greater likelihood of forgiveness when service failures occur, with XM Institute finding that Trust Index scores are more strongly correlated with repurchase, forgiveness, and recommendation likelihood than perceived price-value, based on XM Institute’s 2025 Trust Index study of 10,000 US consumers across 354 brands published by XM Institute / Qualtrics (2025).
67% of consumers will most likely stay loyal to and advocate for a brand they trust, and 78% say they discover things that attract them to a brand and drive loyalty after their first purchase, based on data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025).
UK consumers demonstrate trust in a brand by making more purchases (71%), recommending to friends (61%), joining a loyalty program (41%), and posting positive reviews on social media (40%), based on Adobe’s Future of Marketing Research Series cited by CDP.com (2025).
Consumers who trust a brand are more than twice as likely to be the first to buy a brand’s new products at 53%, compared to 25% for those who do not trust the brand, based on data published by CDP.com (2025).
93% of US executives believe that establishing and nurturing trust has a direct and positive impact on financial performance, based on PwC’s Voice of the Consumer Survey of over 20,000 consumers across 31 countries published by PwC (2024).
52% of consumers stopped using or buying from a brand because they had a bad experience with its products or services, and 29% stopped due to poor customer experience, based on PwC’s 2025 Customer Experience Survey published by PwC (2025).
Brands with crisis plans recover four times faster than those without, and 63% of the public extends benefit of the doubt to socially responsible companies during crises, based on PwC data cited by ProRealTech (2025).

Brand Transparency and Communication Statistics

60% of consumers say trust and transparency are the most important brand traits in 2025, and this figure is increasing annually, based on CMSWire’s 2025 CX research study published by CMSWire (2025).
44% of CX leaders say transparent communication definitely strengthens customer confidence in their brand, and 74% of US customers said that quickly responding to and resolving queries is very important in earning their trust, based on CMSWire research and PwC’s 2024 Trust Survey published by CMSWire (2025) and PwC (2024).
73% of people say their trust in a brand would increase if it authentically reflected today’s culture, and only 27% say their trust would increase when a brand ignores culture and focuses solely on products, based on the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report published by Edelman (2025).
73% of consumers are more loyal to brands they perceive as authentic, up from 68% in 2023, based on data published by Amra and Elma (2025).
82% of people trust a company more when its senior leaders are active on social media, making executive personal brand management a measurable trust lever, based on data published by WiserReview (2026).
65.8% of customers would gain trust in a company that is transparent about how consumer data is collected and used, and 39% say data transparency is the best way to build trust regarding data use and collection, based on data published by TipsOnBlogging (2025).
87% of consumers said it was very or extremely important for companies to disclose past data breaches, based on Liquid Web’s Digital Trust Report of over 1,000 Americans published by Liquid Web (2025).
It takes two times as many good online experiences to build trust as it takes bad ones to break it, reflecting the asymmetric nature of trust that makes proactive transparency essential, based on data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025).

Data Privacy and Trust Statistics

86% of consumers say data privacy is a growing concern for them, and 79% of consumers are willing to spend time and money to protect their own data, based on Cisco data cited by TipsOnBlogging (2025).
Fewer than half of consumers 48% in 2025 believe the benefits they get from online services outweigh their privacy concerns, the lowest level recorded since Deloitte began surveying this sentiment in 2019 and a sharp drop from 58% in 2024, based on Deloitte’s 2025 Connected Consumer Survey published by Deloitte (2025).
19% of consumers were informed that their personal data was compromised in the prior year, and only one sector in 13 studied none reaching above 50% approval earned consumer trust with their data handling, based on Thales’ 2025 Digital Trust Index surveying over 14,000 consumers across 14 countries published by Thales (2025).
40% of people say they have switched brands after learning that a business did not properly protect customer data, and 59% of consumers say a single data breach would negatively impact their likelihood of buying from a consumer products company, based on Deloitte and data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025) and CDP.com (2025).
77% of consumers do not fully understand how their data is handled, and only 47% trust regulators to hold Big Tech accountable, creating an education and accountability gap that brands can fill by leading with transparency, based on Usercentrics’ State of Digital Trust 2025, a survey of 10,000 consumers in the US and Europe published by Usercentrics (2025).
46% of consumers expect clarity on data use, 43% expect security guarantees, and 41% want real control over how their data is used, based on Usercentrics’ State of Digital Trust 2025 published by Usercentrics (2025).
91% of consumers believe they should be able to view and delete the data that companies collect about them, and 83% feel they deserve to be paid by companies that profit from their data, based on Deloitte’s 2024 Connected Consumer Survey published by Deloitte (2024).
Keeping data safe and providing consumers with transparency and control over data use are the top two ways brands can regain customer trust after it has been lost, each cited by 84% of consumers, based on data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025).

AI and Digital Trust Statistics

82% of consumers see AI data loss-of-control as a serious personal threat, including 43% who say it is very serious, based on Relyance AI’s Customer AI Trust Survey of over 1,000 Americans conducted in December 2025 published by Relyance AI (2025).
76% of consumers would switch brands for personal data transparency in AI systems, even if it costs more, and 50% will choose transparency even if it means forgoing the lowest price, based on Relyance AI’s Customer AI Trust Survey published by Relyance AI (2025).
84% of consumers would react to AI data opacity with abandonment or restriction of data sharing, with 57% stopping use entirely and 27% continuing but limiting data sharing, based on Relyance AI’s Customer AI Trust Survey published by Relyance AI (2025).
While 78% of consumers use AI-augmented shopping experiences, only 32% fully trust brands to ethically manage their data in these systems, based on Deloitte’s 2024 study The Trust Dilemma in the Digital Age cited by Boston Brand Media (2025).
57% of consumers globally see the use of AI for collecting and processing personal data as a significant threat to their privacy, based on data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025).
62% of consumers feel they have become “the product” of digital services, and 59% feel uneasy about how their data is used in AI systems, based on Usercentrics consumer research cited by Amra and Elma (2025).
91% of global users of generative AI use it for shopping in some way, including researching brands, comparing products, and summarizing reviews, making what shows up in AI a direct reputation and trust management challenge, based on the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report published by Edelman (2025).
1 in 3 Americans now uses AI tools like ChatGPT to vet brands before transacting with them, and only 20% of consumers say technology providers are very clear about what data they collect or how it is used, based on Liquid Web’s Digital Trust Report and Deloitte’s 2025 Connected Consumer Survey published by Liquid Web (2025) and Deloitte (2025).
64% of consumers say that companies that provide clear information about their privacy policies enhance their trust, and 64% indicated their confidence in a brand would significantly increase if it adopted advanced security and data protection technologies, based on Thales’ 2025 Digital Trust Index published by Thales (2025) and data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025).

Generational Trust Differences Statistics

Gen Z places 2.7 times more weight on brand values and actions than Gen X or Boomers when evaluating trust, based on a 2024 NielsenIQ survey of 30,000 global respondents cited by Boston Brand Media (2025).
87% of 18 to 24 year-olds are influenced by online reviews compared to 67% of the general population, and 53% of Gen Z made purchases based on review videos in 2024, based on eMarketer February 2025 data cited by ReputationX Blog (2025).
1 in 10 Gen Z consumers vet brands on TikTok before purchasing from them, and 54% of US adults aged 18 to 29 trust information they get from social media, based on Liquid Web’s Digital Trust Report and Amra and Elma’s US Consumer Trust Statistics published by Liquid Web (2025) and Amra and Elma (2025).
Millennials and Gen Z, who together make up over 60% of global digital buyers, exhibit the lowest threshold for skepticism and the highest expectations for brand authenticity, and are more adept at identifying greenwashing, performative diversity, and vague ESG claims as trust killers, based on research cited by Boston Brand Media (2025).
72% of consumers say relevant content delivered at the right time and place boosts their trust, with more than one quarter of Gen Z and Millennials specifically saying it increases their trust a lot, based on data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025).
70% of US small businesses are the most trusted institution Gallup tracks among US adults, and 76% of US adults trust their employer in 2025, down from 79% in 2024, based on Gallup data cited by Amra and Elma (2025).

Loyalty and Retention as Trust Outcomes Statistics

Trust is more strongly correlated with consumer repurchase likelihood, forgiveness of service failures, and likelihood to recommend than perceived value of a brand’s offerings, based on XM Institute’s 2025 Trust Index study covering 354 brands across 22 industries published by XM Institute / Qualtrics (2025).
67% of consumers will stay loyal to and actively advocate for brands they trust, and UK consumers show trust by making more purchases, recommending to friends, joining loyalty programs, and posting positive reviews, based on data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025) and CDP.com (2025).
69% of consumers say that providing personal experiences they value is critical to rebuilding their trust, and 72% say poor personalization decreases their trust in brands, based on data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025).
96% of customers are likely to make a purchase when brands send personalized messages, and 58% will stop purchasing from a brand that does not provide personal experiences they value, based on the Attentive 2025 Consumer Trends Report cited by CMSWire (2025) and data compiled by TipsOnBlogging (2025).
Nearly 50% of consumers are happy for their data to be used to offer them personalized services and experiences, demonstrating that the trust-personalization transaction is acceptable when the value exchange is clear, based on PwC’s Voice of the Consumer Survey published by PwC (2024).
95% of unsatisfied customers will return to a brand if their issue is resolved quickly and efficiently, reinforcing that responsive service recovery is one of the highest-ROI trust-building mechanisms available, based on data published by WiserReview (2026).

Review and Social Proof Trust Statistics

42% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations in 2025, a sharp decline from 79% in 2020, driven by growing fatigue with fake or AI-generated reviews, based on data published by Amra and Elma (2025).
49% of consumers trust branded reviews as much as personal recommendations, based on data cited by Amra and Elma (2025).
54% of American consumers trust crowd-sourced review websites in 2025, and 21% of US consumers say they distrust online reviews outright, based on data published by Amra and Elma (2025).
48% of Americans say reviews improve their trust in a brand, while 52% are skeptical, suspecting reviews were fake or curated, based on Liquid Web’s Digital Trust Report published by Liquid Web (2025).
88% of people are more likely to choose a business that responds to every review, and 45% of consumers say they are more likely to visit a business that responds to negative reviews, based on Forbes and Chatmeter data cited by Nadernejad Media (2025) and Chatmeter (2025).

Trust-Building Drivers and Barriers Statistics

The most important marker of trustworthiness for consumers is safeguarding personal data and clearly explaining how that is being done, rated above all other trust drivers in PwC’s 2024 Trust Survey, based on data published by PwC (2024).
74% of consumers in 14 countries from a 2024 Kantar study trust brands that invest in local employment, infrastructure, or education programs even more than those offering discounts, and 63% say they would purchase or advocate for brands based on their stance on societal issues even if they were more expensive, based on data cited by Boston Brand Media (2025).
Trust in domestically headquartered brands outpaces foreign counterparts by an average of 15 points globally, with Germany showing a 30-point gap and Canada showing a 29-point gap, reflecting a localization premium in consumer trust, based on the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report published by Edelman (2025).
74% of Nigerian and 69% of Indian consumers trust brands that invest in local communities even more than those offering discounts or rewards, based on a 2024 Kantar study cited by Boston Brand Media (2025).
Trust is built on three dimensions: Competence (can you do what you say?), Integrity (do you behave ethically?), and Benevolence (do you have the customer’s best interest at heart?), with consumers providing strong Benevolence ratings being at least 4 points more likely to forgive and 5 points more likely to recommend, based on XM Institute’s 2025 Trust Index published by XM Institute / Qualtrics (2025).
92% of companies across industries use AI-driven personalization, but AI personalization improves engagement only when it operates transparently, and opaque algorithms specifically erode consumer confidence according to peer-reviewed research in digital retail, based on ScienceDirect research on Ethical AI Personalization published by ScienceDirect (2025).

Regional and Industry-Specific Context Statistics

Trust in digital services is declining or stagnant across all 13 sectors measured globally, with no sector reaching above 50% consumer approval for data trustworthiness, and only insurance, banking, and government maintaining or very slightly increasing trust levels, based on Thales’ 2025 Digital Trust Index of over 14,000 consumers across 14 countries published by Thales (2025).
Highly regulated sectors like finance and the public sector enjoy higher levels of digital trust, while tech, retail, and automotive are the most distrusted industries for data practices, based on Usercentrics’ State of Digital Trust 2025 published by Usercentrics (2025).
PayPal is the most trusted major brand for handling personal data according to 45% of Americans, while Meta is the least trustworthy according to 56% of Americans, based on Liquid Web’s Digital Trust Report published by Liquid Web (2025).
Trust in institutions has declined globally, with Forrester’s Global Government, Society, and Trust Survey 2025 finding consumers are increasingly skeptical of unfamiliar companies and social media, while remaining loyal to personal relationships and valuing authenticity from brands, based on Forrester research published by Forrester (2025).
62% of people globally say they struggle to distinguish between truth and falsehood in media narratives, creating ambient distrust that brands must navigate by leading with honesty, empathy, and accountability, based on the 2024 Edelman Barometer cited by Boston Brand Media (2025).
89% of UK consumers consult ratings before making a purchasing decision, while in the US only 30% of consumers say they actually highly trust brands despite 90% of executives believing otherwise, illustrating that the trust gap operates at similar magnitudes across mature western markets, based on Trustpilot 2024 data and PwC’s 2024 Trust Survey published by Mordor Intelligence (2025) and PwC (2024).

References

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