Bunnings, ALDI and Woolworths on top in Net Trust Scores

The latest research from the Roy Morgan Risk Monitor shows Retail, Supermarkets and Consumer Products are Australia’s most trusted industries: those with the highest NTS – Net Trust Score. At the other end of the scale industries in the unenviable position of scoring highest for distrust, with a negative NTS, include Mining & Petroleum, Telecommunications and Utilities.

Hardware retailer Bunnings is the nation’s most trusted brand, edging out supermarket rivals ALDI and Woolworths for top spot. Supermarket Coles and discount department store retailer Kmart also ranked in the top 10, with high Net Trust Scores.

Following them, and rounding out the top 10, are insurer NRMA, Government broadcaster the ABC, airline QANTAS and car company Toyota, with the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank out-performing larger rivals to claim the title of Australia’s most trusted bank and 10th most trusted brand overall, in surveys completed in June 2019.

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine explains the vital role played by TRUST, and especially DISTRUST, in the success of a business: “Numerous entities have tried to measure trust with varying degrees of success. None has the breadth and depth of consumer insight that Roy Morgan has built up over two decades, so none is as accurate as the Roy Morgan Risk Monitor, now its second year.

“The significant research program we began in 2017 has revealed that while trust is an essential ingredient in any functional relationship, be it person-to-person or brand-to-customer, it cannot shield against the corrosive effects of distrust.

“To really come to grips with this it’s important to understand that distrust is not uncertainty about whether to trust, nor is it an absence of trust. It is something separate, something much darker and more damaging. The key message for business is that distrust is a major risk factor which must be monitored because it leads to customer churn, loss of market share, and a plummeting share price.”

Top 10 Brands by Net Trust Score – June 2019

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia). Risk Monitor, July 2018 – June 2019; n=14,383. 
Base: Australians 14+ who answered either Trust or Distrust of brands; n=7,971.
Note: Includes key commercial brands with at least 20 mentions across trust and distrust.

These insights are drawn from the ongoing Roy Morgan Risk Monitor – based on over 1,000 interviews each month. Respondents are asked which brands and companies they trust, and why, and also which brand and companies they distrust, and why. The survey is specially designed to be open-ended and context-free, i.e. unprompted.

Net Trust Score by Industries - 12 month averages to June 2019

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia). Risk Monitor, July 2018 – June 2019; n=14,383. 
Base: Australians 14+ who answered either Trust or Distrust of brands; n=7,971.
Note: Includes key commercial brands with at least 20 mentions across trust and distrust.

To gain a greater understanding of Roy Morgan’s Risk Monitor or to explore the results for specific industries and brands contact Roy Morgan.

View the Roy Morgan Risk Report

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