Trust in TV grew faster over past four years than any other medium, research reveals
Opinion
Following the launch of the Credos Trust Tracker data for 2025, Channel 4’s chief commercial officer analyses the results and their implications for TV advertising.
In a world of deepfakes, bots and post-truth politics, it’s not surprising that consumers are seeking shelter in trusted environments where accuracy is everything, and facts are back in fashion.
Regulation and verification have never been sexier. The BBC’s verify service is used by almost a quarter of UK adults, while the highly regulated public service broadcasters’ news reporting is consistently rated the most trusted.
Trust, then, is hard-won but increasingly valuable, as new research today makes clear.
The Advertising Association today (5 February) released new Credos Trust Tracker data for 2025. It shows that trust in ads continues to grow: 40% of people now trust the ads they come across.
While that’s great news for advertisers, agencies, and media owners, dig a little deeper and the story becomes more nuanced.
According to the data, trust in TV grew faster between 2021 and 2025 than in any other medium, including online and social media.
Of course, TV has long been seen as a trusted form of advertising – Thinkbox’s AdNormal study in 2021 concluded as such. But this latest research shows the gap is widening: 46% of respondents trust TV ads, 31% trust online ads, and 27% trust social media ads.
Moreover, TV is the most trusted medium among 18-34s (62% trust TV).
The data shows that familiarity with the brand and medium is a powerful driver of credibility and trust. Add to that the regulatory regime governing public service media, and we can see why trust in television advertising is high and, according to this research, has grown at nearly twice the rate of social media over the past four years.
The research also highlights that people who identify bombardment as an issue are the most likely to distrust advertising. You’ll recognise this phenomenon when purchasing online. Post purchase, you are literally the coldest lead in the world, but you’ll continue to receive ads for weeks to come. No wonder the research also shows that people who believe advertising is sufficiently regulated are much more likely to trust it.
That’s why, when we talk to advertisers and agencies, we tell them TV works
We can help marketers and agencies see beyond treating trust as a soft value and start treating it as a growth lever. Supporting them to move away from a fixation on cheap reach and short‑term optimisation and being far more deliberate about where brands show up, not just how efficiently they are delivered.
Sustainable growth will surely come from investing in quality, accountable media that audiences recognise as credible.
In practical terms, that requires advertisers, agencies, and media owners to rebalance investment toward regulated, transparent environments that have been proven to build long‑term brand effects, even if they appear less efficient in the short term. In other words, turn down the toxic, turn up the trust.
Some say there is a tension between the pressure to deliver growth and the responsibility that comes with scale. We do not think growth and responsibility are mutually exclusive or in opposition.
Both can and do go together. It appears there’s been an imbalance in spending, with more emphasis on growth amid economic pressures. Gradually, advertisers are finding that their brands are at risk of flattening as they prioritise short-term performance marketing.
My bet: trust will increasingly prompt a rethink as advertisers favour trusted environments like commercial public service media (TV), which are nutrient-rich, and nourishing – unlike dopamine-filled environments elsewhere.
Rak Patel is the chief commercial officer at Channel 4