Survey: Facebook Ranks High In Consumer Trust

Just beating out print newspapers, consumers consider Facebook to be the most trusted source of content created by brands and companies.

That’s according to new data from Acquity Group, part of Accenture Interactive, which surveyed some 2,000 U.S. consumers on their digital media habits and preferences.

Among other channels, email, TV, and news and special interest Web site also ranked highly on the trust scale.

Lower on the scale were other top social platforms, including -- in order -- Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Snapchat.

On par with Snapchat, YouTube and blogs found themselves on the lower end of the trust scale.

Younger generations are more likely to trust social channels than their older counterparts, Acquity found. In fact, 29% of college-aged consumers (ages 18-22) and 32% of millennials (ages 23-30) said Facebook topped out their trust meters, while only 16% of baby boomers (ages 52-68) agreed.

Older consumers said they were still more likely to trust traditional media, such as print (27%), or even online news (20%).

Overall, 23% of consumers said they are influenced by content in news outlets, such as print and online media, when it is written by a brand.

Brands looking to target audiences across platforms should therefore pay attention to where content is most trusted in order to reach their audience most effectively, Acquity suggested.

Despite its high trust marks, social media still trails others channels in terms of actually getting consumers to try and buy products. TV and print media advertising still own the market as key influencers that drive new customers, Acquity found.

Social media came in third, followed by email, direct mail, YouTube, and online news Web sites.

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