The AdTrust Study

According to the 2019 AdTrust study, news brands are Australia’s most trusted media channel with print newspapers generating a net trust score of 27% and news websites following closely with a score of 21%.

Conducted by Ipsos, the study gauged the opinions of more than 2,500 Australians and found ads and content in social media channels suffer from a severe trust deficit.

The research confirms advertising in news media is the most trusted form of advertising. That’s because the trust and reliance readers place on the premium, professionally produced content in news brands (both print and digital) has a halo effect on advertising within the medium.

In fact, 48% of those surveyed said trust in content increases the trust in the associated advertising. And 48% say trust in ads is more likely to get them to reach for their wallets.