Trust in advertising at its highest in five years

Consumer trust in adverts has reached its highest level in five years, despite the public having an “increasingly complex” relationship with advertising.

Research from industry think tank Credos, found 40% of the UK public trusted advertising in 2025, the highest level of trust recorded since 2021. The data comes from the Credos Trust Tracker, which surveys around 2,000 participants each year.

Just one in 10 (11%) report being very trusting of ads, while 29% say they are fairly trusting. A quarter (25%) of consumers distrust ads, while a third (33%) say they neither trust nor distrust advertising.

Despite being the highest level of trust in ads recorded by Credos in five years, the 40% score represents only a marginal improvement on 2024, when that figure sat at 39%. It does, however, represent a distinct improvement on 2021. Back then 31% of people said they trusted advertising, a lower proportion than those who said they neither trusted nor distrusted ads (38%).

Trust in advertising sank even lower in 2022, when there was just one percentage point separating UK consumers who trusted advertising (30%) and those who reported actively distrusting it (29%).

While the headline data suggests an improving picture for trust in advertising, the Credos research also suggests a complicated underlying picture. Analysis found the importance of positives versus negatives in driving trust in advertising was exactly 50/50 in 2025.

A major factor in driving distrust was “suspicious advertising”, which includes scams, misleading ads, undisclosed ads, greenwashing and the manipulation of images. On the flip side, the study found enjoyment was the factor most likely to drive trust in advertising.

“Our latest research found that people’s day to day relationship with advertising, particularly online, is becoming increasingly complex, contradictory and sometimes concerning,” says Credos director Dan Wilks.

Increasing trust across channels

Trust across all advertising channels increased in 2025 versus 2021 levels, according to the research.

Television advertising saw one of the biggest jumps, with almost half (46%) of the public now saying they trust TV – versus 33% in 2021. The study finds TV is the most trusted advertising channel, followed by cinema. More than two fifths (42%) of consumers say they trust cinema advertising, versus 33% in 2021.

Indeed, the more ‘traditional’ advertising channels are most likely to be trusted by the public, with TV, cinema and radio advertising making up the top three.

Influencer advertising is least likely to be trusted by the public, although the channel is making strides with regards building trust. A quarter (25%) of consumers now say they trust influencer ads, versus 19% in 2021. Social media also increased from 20% trust in 2021 to 27% in 2025.