On 1 September 2026, WARC highlighted a study by the research firm Rival Technologies published in late August, which measures Generation Z's trust in 14 types of organisation (WARC). Social media, influencers and AI companies get the three lowest trust scores in it, while advertising budgets keep flowing into those same channels.
The facts
- 903 young people aged 18 to 29 were surveyed in late July and early August 2026 in the United States and Canada: 62% cite social media as their first source of news, but only 33% trust social platforms (Rival Technologies press release).
- Influencers score 31% trust and AI companies 24%, with 73% declared distrust: the three lowest scores of the 14 categories tested. At the top of the ranking, healthcare institutions reach 79%.
- Traditional news media obtain 61% trust among Generation Z, almost double the score of the social platforms that nevertheless distribute the same news content.
Why is reach no longer enough to convince Generation Z?
On the influencer briefs we prepare, the reflex is still often to reason in terms of coverage, through views and impressions. This study is a reminder that an 18 to 29-year-old can see a piece of content dozens of times without giving it any credit. Reach measures exposure; it says nothing about the effect on brand perception.
The study only covers the United States and Canada, with clear gaps between the two: trust in AI companies falls to 14% in Canada against 33% in the United States, and trust in influencers to 20% against 40%. Caution is advisable before transposing these figures as they stand to the Luxembourg or international market, even though the direction of the signal matches another Rival Technologies study published earlier in 2026: 72% of Generation Z respondents said they had punished a brand for a use of AI in its marketing they judged clumsy, from unfollowing to abandoning a purchase (press release).
AIxH's view
An influencer budget is better directed towards voices and formats able to withstand the general distrust of the channel: that credibility criterion should weigh as much as reach in the choice of partnerships. Our social media agency in Luxembourg builds creator briefs around that requirement, with the method that applies to all our content: human editorial direction, production accelerated by AI. We can review the selection criteria of your current influencer partnerships with you.