Danny de Vreeze | Vice President, Identity & Access Management
More About This Author >
Danny de Vreeze | Vice President, Identity & Access Management
More About This Author >
Trust remains the cornerstone of digital interactions, yet its foundations are increasingly fragile in an era of sophisticated cyber threats and evolving consumer expectations. The 2024 Digital Trust Index gave us extremely important insights into the expectations of the end-user, and we have built upon those results with the 2025 Thales Digital Trust Index that provide critical insights into how trust dynamics are shifting across industries and geographies. By comparing these annual benchmarks, we can assess progress, identify persistent challenges, and chart a path forward for organizations striving to balance security, privacy, and user experience.
Sector Trust Rankings: Stability and Shifts
Banking Retains Leadership Amid Generational Divides
The banking sector maintained its position as the most trusted industry in both 2024 and 2025, though its dominance weakened among younger demographics. In 2024, 44% of consumers globally trusted banks with their personal data, but by 2025, this figure dropped to 32% for those aged 16–24. This generational divergence reflects skepticism toward traditional institutions and growing comfort with fintech alternatives.
Governments did better
Government services saw the most notable improvement, rising from 37% trust in 2024 to 42% in 2025, driven by enhanced regulatory frameworks like the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and improved transparency in data handling.
News media in freefall
News media organizations hit a new low in 2025, trusted by only 3% of consumers—a 50% decline from 2024’s already dismal 6%. The proliferation of deepfakes and Meta’s controversial shift to crowd-sourced fact-checking exacerbated distrust.
Insurance, a study in Stagnation
The insurance industry remained stagnant in consumer trust, securing only 24% confidence in 2025—unchanged from 2024. While insurers benefit from regulatory oversight like the banking sector, persistent friction points like opaque claims processes and intrusive data collection eroded goodwill. Notably, 37% of consumers shared data with insurers only because they “had no other option”, highlighting transactional relationships rather than trust-based ones. Regional disparities emerged: in markets like India and the UAE, where digital ID systems are robust, trust in insurers reached 34%, compared to 19% in France.
Consumer Privacy Demands: Rising Expectations Meet Persistent Frustrations
The Right to Control Data
Consistent across both years, 86–87% of consumers demanded baseline privacy rights, with the right to data erasure (53% in 2025 vs. 53% in 2024) and informed consent (52% vs. 55%) remaining non-negotiable. However, 2025 revealed a troubling paradox: while 89% of consumers were willing to share data, 37% did so only because they had no alternative—a 10% increase from 2024. This underscores a growing sense of resignation rather than empowerment, particularly in sectors like insurance, where policyholders feel strong-armed into surrendering health or driving data.
Friction points persisted across industries:
- Intrusive advertising (71% frustration in 2024) and password resets (31% abandonment in 2025) remained top irritants.
- Dynamic pricing frustrations rose from 14% to 28% year-over-year, reflecting broader discontent with opaque algorithmic practices.
AI and Advanced Technologies: Trust Through Transparency
Generative AI’s Double-Edged Sword
While 64% of consumers in 2025 expressed greater trust in brands using advanced technologies like AI, skepticism persisted. In 2024, 47% questioned whether companies used generative AI responsibly; by 2025, 57% worried about its impact on data security. This tension highlights the need for ethical AI frameworks, particularly as regulations like the EU AI Act take shape.
Digital sovereignty gained traction, with 37% of consumers prioritizing data localization in 2025. Brands complying with regional laws (e.g., Brazil’s LGPD, Canada’s CPPA) saw stronger trust metrics, especially in markets like India and the UAE. For insurers, sovereign cloud adoption could mitigate risks of cross-border data disputes.
Employee Experience: Remote Work’s Unresolved Challenges
Hybrid work models strained employer-employee trust. In 2025, 41% of remote workers found login processes overly complex (vs. 37% in 2024), while 56% expressed frustration with frequent password changes—a 17% year-over-year increase. Despite these hurdles, 57% felt employers valued their digital experience, though regional disparities persisted (e.g., 13% dissatisfaction in Germany).
The Bot Problem: A Growing Threat to Trust
Malicious bots accounted for 33% of web traffic in 2025, up from 30% in 2024. Their impact extended beyond security breaches, degrading user experience through CAPTCHA fatigue (28% abandonment) and inflated operational costs. Organizations adopting AI-driven bot mitigation tools reported 22% fewer customer complaints related to downtime.
Global Trust in Decline: A Call to Action
The 2025 Index revealed no sector achieved >50% "high trust" ratings, with global trust either stagnating or declining. Highly regulated industries like healthcare and banking fared better but still faced skepticism, particularly in the U.S., where government trust lagged at 29%. By contrast, Australia, Singapore, and India saw government trust exceed 50%, tied to robust digital ID systems.
Rebuilding Trust in a Fractured Landscape
The 2024–2025 comparisons reveal three critical trends:
- Consumer Burden Intensifies: With 63% feeling over-responsible for data protection, brands must automate security without compromising usability.
- Regulation as a Trust Catalyst: Sectors adopting GDPR-like standards (e.g., banking under DORA) outperformed peers, emphasizing the need for cross-industry policy alignment.
- Technology as Differentiator: Passwordless logins, AI ethics, and digital sovereignty are no longer optional but foundational to competitive advantage.
For the Banking & Insurance sector, three priorities emerge:
- Progressive profiling to reduce intrusive data demands during customer onboarding.
- Data Privacy & Consent management to rebuild trust transparently and efficiently.
- Regional compliance hubs to address digital sovereignty concerns in cross-border markets.
As we noted in the Digital Trust Index last year, "Trust isn’t static—it’s earned daily through every interaction." In 2025, that means meeting consumers where they are: skeptical, informed, and demanding control.