Morning Consult-Business Insider Exclusive Survey Analyzes Influencer Trust and Authenticity

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The influencer trust gap is generational: Gen Z and Millennials trust creator recommendations (62%, 64%), buy from them regularly (48%, 52% often/sometimes), get their news from them (64%, 61%), and say creator content has shaped their societal and political views. Boomers are skeptical on nearly every measure — only 31% trust recommendations, 43% never bought based on one, and views on societal impact are the only generation net-negative (31% negative vs. 17% positive).

• Higher earners lean into influencers too, not just younger people. On trust, purchase frequency, political influence, and creator aspiration, $100k+ earners consistently out-index lower income bands, alongside the generational pattern.

• The disclosure gap is a live brand-safety issue. 69% of adults think creators should disclose paid promotions, but only 1 in 4 think creators actually do it consistently. Finding out content is paid makes people across every age and income group trust it less but especially Boomers and GenX.

• The commercial upside comes with real downside risk. Food/beverage, beauty, and fashion are the leading creator-driven purchase categories, but half of all buyers (50%) regret at least one creator-driven purchase. Regret is highest among the groups (Gen Z, $100k+) who buy the most
  this way.