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Trust in large institutions continues to wane with dentists and hairdressers leading the way as UK’s “most trusted” local business providers
Yell • May 01, 2017
A new study out today has found that dentists, hairdressers and gardeners are viewed as being amongst the most trusted local businesses in the UK. The research carried out by , one of the largest providers of digital marketing solutions to small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) in the UK, found that by contrast, car dealers, estate agents and letting companies are viewed as being the least trustworthy to give a good standard of service at a fair price.
The nation-wide study, looking at trust in business, found that two-fifths (41%) of people are more likely to trust local services than bigger, nation-wide companies; echoing broader trends of an erosion in faith in traditional institutions.
Richard Hanscott, CEO of Yell said:
“While public sentiment towards established institutions such as governments, media and large corporates is decreasing, the need for reliable information in the era of fake news is growing. Our research illustrates that while trust for the traditional pillars is waning, local businesses are stepping up to the plate and filling this vacuum.”
The value attached to personal recommendations is also at a premium, with 77% of respondents saying they would take advice from a friend or family member when identifying a local business or service they haven’t used previously. The findings coincide with the launch of the Yell for Business app, which allows SMBs to manage their Yell profile and respond to reviews directly from their mobiles.
“Positive word of mouth from those we know has always been an important factor in the selection of the local services we use, however, the growth of online means that we can now get feedback and recommendations from far beyond those we know directly,”
Hanscott concluded.
“These findings emphasise the need for SMBs to fully understand just how important reviews are in their target customers’ decision making process, and why they need to work to ensure that they have a strong and transparent online and social media presence.”
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About the study
The fieldwork was carried out in 2016 by research group Opinium, who sourced answers from 2,007 nationally representative UK adults aged 18 and above.
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