Consumer Behavior

Consumer trust in digital services takes a dip

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March 26, 2025

Most industries experienced a decline in consumer trust this year, compared to 2024, according to Thales' "2025 Digital Trust Index – Consumer Edition."

Thales surveyed over 14,000 consumers across 14 countries about their online relationship with brands and services, their privacy expectations and how brands can earn their trust.

While banking tops the Trust Index for the second year in a row, levels of trust falls to 32% among Gen Z consumers and 33% of consumers voiced frustration with e-commerce, according to a press release on the findings.

Across 13 different sectors, only insurance, banking and government saw either their trust level remain unchanged or increase very slightly.

"Global trust in digital services is decreasing or remaining stagnant at best, even among highly regulated industries. One area that does not remain stagnant is the threat landscape. Consumers are more aware than ever before of online threats, and the consequences of their data falling into the wrong hands. As cyber threats evolve so does consumer skepticism, and brands must continuously adapt their security measures to stay ahead and rebuild confidence," Sebastien Cano, senior vice president, cybersecurity products at Thales, said in the release.

More than four in five (86%) of consumers expect some level of data privacy rights from the companies they interact with online. However, amidst growing concerns about data privacy, 63% believe that too much onus is placed on the consumer when it comes to data protection.