Results are in for the Roy Morgan poll into the Most Trusted and Distrusted Brands for the year ending March 2024.

The top 10 Trusted Brands 

1. 1. Bunnings
   2. Aldi
   3. Kmart 
   4. Apple 
   5. Toyota
   6. Australia Post
   7. Myer
   8. Big W
   9. NRMA
   10. Samsung

The top 10 Distrusted Brands 

1. 1. Optus
   2. Facebook Meta
   3. Qantas 
   4. Telstra
   5. Newscorp
   6. Amazon
   7. Twitter (X)
   8. TikTok
   9. Coles
   10. Nestles

Bunnings has retained its place as leader as Woolworths continued its decline from 2nd spot down to 34th. Supermarket rival- Coles has fallen sharply from being the 5th most trusted brand in December 2023 to now the 9th most distrusted brand- a fall of 221 places. Aldi on the other hand is now sitting at number 2 on the most trusted brands.

Australian distrust for companies has grown significantly in the last year as cost-of living concerns and high inflation have increased concern about companies being motivated by high profits and corporate greed, excessive price hikes, dishonesty and not being focused enough on putting the customer first. 

Amongst the top distrusted brands, the top 5 have all faced significant scandals in recent years, which has led to high and enduring levels of distrust in the community. 

Consumers have also reacted to those businesses who focus on huge profits, and those who don’t put the customer first, as well as widespread price gouging, especially by big banks- (NAB 29th on the most distrusted list) and the major supermarkets. During the cost of living crisis, the profits generated by the supermarkets and Banks have not gone unnoticed.

Not being customer focused, providing bad service as well as rip-off prices and excessive price hikes are also key factors in rising distrust. These insights highlight the importance of businesses prioritising ethical behaviour and transparency to rebuild consumer trust and restore confidence in the business community.