Deborah Schepers

The Power of Trust in Media

Radio has consistently been proven to be the number one most trusted medium in Europe, according to an annual survey by the EU Commission, the Eurobarometer. This monitors the perceptions of EU citizens on a range of issues including trust in media.

The fact that radio has maintained this lead throughout a decade of digital and other media disruption is impressive. The latest figures show that radio is trusted by 57% of respondents, compared to 49% for TV and 46% for press.

A number of recent research releases suggest that the pandemic has only increased these levels of trust, across all markets.

Primedia constantly surveys consumers and has been releasing information on how the pandemic has affected behaviour and perceptions on a regular basis. More than half of our respondent panel do not have one of our stations as their favourite station, giving us a wider view of the landscape.

Our most recent data shows that in terms of most trusted mediums and institutions, radio is generally second to family. TV is ranked 6th, Facebook is 11th on average, and Twitter is 10th on average.

There are several reasons for these high levels of trust. The first is that by nature, trust is built up through consistency – it’s a daily commitment. The habitual way radio is consumed, as it’s woven into the fabric of people’s lives, means that there is frequency behind the experience. The personalities on air begin to feel familiar, and so trust forms over time.

In any trusting relationship one must first acknowledge that a relationship must exist between two parties. Unlike other media types, which are often faceless, radio as a medium is delivered by real people, creating that second party.

Another reason, which has become increasingly important to people during Covid-19, is that regional radio has an intimacy with the world that you live in, rather than delivering a more generic global view. Nielsen data released during 2020 showed that radio made people feel more connected to their communities and made them feel less alone. In a time of isolation, people clung more to things that made them feel a part of something meaningful. This sense of connection to the community through the medium also drives trust.

Trust researchers Mayer, Davis and Schoorman talk about there being three elements to trust – ability, benevolence and integrity. Ability is having knowledge, skills, or competencies that allow influence in a specific area. Integrity “involves the trustor’s perception that the trustee adheres to a set of principles that the trustor finds acceptable”, and benevolence is “the extent to which a trustee is believed to want to do good to the trustor’’. One only has to think of the work done by talk radio stations to drive societal change by using their influence to hold people to account to realise why levels of trust are so high with these presenters and stations.

It is also worth noting that advertising on radio is regulated, with consumers able to complain about the truth of the ad message, and messages making false claims, removed.

Importantly, the trust in the medium extends to the advertising messages placed there. IPA Touchpoints now includes a measure of the extent to which advertising is trusted by each medium’s audience. Trust in radio advertising is higher than for other media when measured in this way.

In a sense, radio personalities are the original influencers. Because the presenter is trustworthy, the message is true. Because the news bulletin is presented by a credible, independent source with a long-standing history, the information can be believed. This unique benefit of radio hasn’t changed, and is in fact becoming more valuable.

Social media influencers and their paid-for followers, fake news and the avalanche of unfounded digital opinions have re-established radio as your knowledgeable and trustworthy friend. The friend that shares the latest news as you get ready for work and your companion in the car. People are finding trust, companionship and hope in radio, just like they’ve always done.