Thales survey reveals declining trust in digital services

Thales has released findings from its 2025 Digital Trust Index, highlighting a decline in universal trust in digital services compared to last year. Conducted with over 14,000 consumers across 14 countries, the study examined trust levels in various sectors and noted significant concerns over data privacy.

The survey demonstrates significant shifts in consumer trust across 13 different sectors. Notably, insurance, banking, and government sectors were among the few that did not experience a decline, with trust levels either remaining steady or increasing slightly. Despite this, no sector surpassed consumers' 50% trust level regarding personal data handling.

According to the index, banking remained the most trusted industry, marking its position for the second consecutive year. Nonetheless, there is a stark contrast between age demographics, with trust levels peaking at 51% among consumers aged over 55 and dropping to just 32% among Gen Z individuals.

In contrast, government organisations saw a slight increase in trust, with 37% to 42% of global respondents stating they hold confidence in these entities to manage personal data securely compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, news media organisations ranked lowest, securing trust from merely 3% of surveyed individuals. This sentiment was similarly extended to social media platforms and sectors like logistics and automotive, each rated by only 4% of participants.

Sebastien Cano, Senior Vice President of Cybersecurity Products at Thales, 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."

Privacy fears notably affect consumer behaviour, with 82% of participants abandoning brands within the past year due to apprehensions about how their data is used. Additionally, the survey found that nearly 19% of respondents have had their data compromised over this period.

John Tolbert, Director of Cybersecurity Research at KuppingerCole Analysts, said, "The Thales Digital Trust Index findings should be alarming to enterprises that conduct business online. The global decrease in digital trust is not only quantifiable but preventable. Deploying modern Customer Identity Access Management (CIAM), Fraud Reduction Intelligence Platforms (FRIP), GenAI, and data privacy protection solutions properly, with optimising the customer journey as the primary design principle, will lead to better business and consumer outcomes."

The issue of trust extends into customer relations and ecommerce experiences. Around 33% of consumers are frustrated due to inefficiencies and manipulations in online shopping environments, such as bot activity disrupting purchasing processes. This has compounded the general sentiment towards digital services.

There is a substantial call for improved data handling practices across sectors, with 86% of consumers expecting some data privacy rights when interacting online. However, a significant 63% feel that they bear too much responsibility for data protection rather than the companies.

Despite concerns, there remains room for improvement. 64% of consumers acknowledged that their trust would enhance significantly if brands adopted technologies like passwordless authentication, biometrics, and multifactor authentication and used AI responsibly to ensure data security.

The research was carried out by Censuswide in collaboration with The Red Consultancy on behalf of Thales, responding to the need for insights into consumer expectations and behaviours regarding digital trust and data privacy.