Brand owners still have plenty of work to do to convince consumers that personal information is safe in their hands, with more than four-fifths (82%) of customers saying they have abandoned a company over the past 12 months due to data concerns.
That is according to the findings of Thales’ 2025 Digital Trust Index – Consumer Edition, which quizzed over 14,000 consumers across 14 countries about their relationship with online brands and services.
It reveals a sweeping decline in trust across 13 different sectors, compared to this time last year, with only insurance, banking and government seeing either their trust level remain unchanged or increase very slightly.
In fact, when asked which sector they trusted with their personal data, not one sector reached above 50% approval.
This decline in trust comes as nearly one in five (19%) have been informed that their personal data has been compromised in the past year.
Banking emerged as the most trusted sector for the second year in a row. However, the research found a stark demographic shift, peaking at 51% of over 55s, and languishing at just 32% of Gen Z consumers (13- to 28-year-olds).
Government organisations are the only sector where trust increased compared to the previous year, with 42% of global consumers ranking them as a top trusted sector with their personal data, compared to 37% last year.
News media organisations polled the lowest, with only 3% of consumers ranking them as a top trusted sector, while social media and automotive only ranked marginally higher, at 4% each.
Meanwhile, more than four in five (86%) consumers expect some level of data privacy rights from the companies they interact with online. However, nearly a two-thirds (63%) believe that too much onus is placed on the consumer when it comes to data protection.
Over a third (37%) said that they only shared their personal data with an organisation because it was the only way to access a product or service; a similar proportion (34%) said it was because they trusted organisations to use this data sensibly.
This frustration is also evident when it comes to customer experience. Whether it is being kicked out of an online queue, being presented with price fluctuations, or experiencing downtime on a website, one in three consumers (33%) voiced frustration with ecommerce, directly caused by bad bots manipulating the customer purchasing process.
Despite this growing scepticism, consumers have been clear about their expectations; two-thirds (64%) said their confidence in a brand or service would significantly increase if it adopted and implemented emerging or advanced technologies such as passwordless authentication, biometrics, multifactor authentication, and responsible use of AI.
Thales senior vice president of cybersecurity products Sebastien Cano said: “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 scepticism, and brands must continuously adapt their security measures to stay ahead and rebuild confidence.”
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