Trust in TV Ads Continues to Grow but Generational Divide Remains Online

Dan Meier 23 January, 2025 

Trust in advertising continues to grow in the UK, according to the latest Credos Trust Tracker from the Advertising Assocation (AA). The trade body found that TV and cinema remain the most trusted media for advertising, though there remains a vast generational divide when it comes to willingness to trust ads.

The 2024 data shows that 39 percent of the average population trust the ads they see or hear, up from 36 percent in 2023 and a particularly low 30 percent in 2022. The AA noted that this rise is mainly driven by younger audiences.

Trust in ads among ages 18-34 has grown from 41 percent in 2022 to 57 percent in 2024. Conversely, trust from those aged 55+ has only increased from 18 percent in 2022 to 21 percent in 2024, suggesting ongoing mistrust among the older age group. Last year, Credos noted that this pattern has been consistent since the think tank began tracking advertising trust in 2010.

“People aged 18-34 are almost three times more likely to trust advertising than over 55s,” said the AA. “This is driven by a ‘generational digital divide’, whereby younger people’s trust in online advertising has been growing rapidly year-on-year, whilst older people’s trust in online ads has remained low.”

Tracking TV’s trustworthiness

Regardess, the overall trend is positive, according to the AA, with trust in all media channels increasing in 2024. TV and cinema remain the most trusted channels for advertising, trusted by an average 43 percent of the UK population. This was followed by radio, news and magazine media, and out of home (OOH).

But trust in online advertising channels, including social media and influencer marketing, remain low, especially among the older generations. However, trust in online advertising is growing, particularly driven by younger audiences, alongside improved ad experiences for influencer channels.

TV on the other hand demonstrates higher levels of trust across all age groups, including 31 percent of those aged 55+. Despite the changing viewing habits seen in younger audiences, trust in TV among 18-34s continues to grow, reaching 54 percent in 2024, up from 51 percent in 2023.

The research further suggested that the ad experience on BVOD services is also improving, as the UK broadcasters continue to invest in developing their streaming platforms. 

 There are a number of factors that drove the overall increase in trust in 2024, including a strong festive ad season and more enjoyable advertising, with humour definitely making a comeback post-pandemic,” said Dan Wilks, Director of Credos. “Our qualitative research has also shown an improved ad experience in some channels, with BVOD and influencers in particular being highlighted.”

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) also ran a multi-channel national ad awareness campaign in 2024, and the ASA found that people who saw or heard the ads are more than twice as likely to trust the industry than those who did not. 

“It’s really good to see continued rises in trust in advertising, underpinned by our own UK-wide ad campaign,” commented ASA CEO Guy Parker. “At the ASA, we love responsible advertising, we want it to be trusted, and we want it to be deserving of that trust. If we all keep working towards that goal, including with an even bigger and better burst of ASA ads later in 2025, we’ll see even greater benefits to people, to brands, to media and, of course, to the economy.”

“We are really pleased with these latest tracker results showing increases in trust in advertising across a number of our key metrics,” added AA CEO Stephen Woodford. “The ASA campaign is clearly a key lever we can pull and we are again incredibly grateful to the brands who lend us their famous assets and straplines, to Leith and EssenceMediacom who are so generous with their creative and media expertise, and to the media owners who donate. We want to do more and plan to build on this in 2025.”  

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2025-01-23T12:15:31+01:00

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