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Supermarkets have overtaken telecommunications as Australia’s most distrusted industry, according to Roy Morgan’s March 2025 quarterly trust and distrust survey, with Woolworths claiming the
unwanted title of the nation’s most distrusted brand, also falling in consumer trust is Bunnings, following an investigation by the ABC. The survey results show a dramatic shift in
Australian consumer sentiment, with supermarket distrust reaching unprecedented levels. Mining and petroleum industries fell two rankings in the distrust categories, while banks and payments
services each improved their standing by moving up two rankings. Food and beverage companies declined two ranks in trust levels. Bunnings retained its position as Australia’s most trusted
brand, though the hardware retailer faces mounting challenges. The survey indicates Bunnings’ trust levels are slipping across key categories, including affordability, product quality, and
reliability. Growing distrust factors include concerns about the company’s market dominance, profit motives, price increases, and perceived dishonesty, with recent Four Corners coverage
impacting the retailer’s reputation. The top five most trusted brands remain unchanged: Bunnings, Aldi, Kmart, Apple, and Toyota. However, several notable movements occurred within the
rankings. Woolworths has experienced a catastrophic fall, dropping 239 places to become the most distrusted brand, while Coles followed closely with a 237-place decline. Commonwealth Bank
demonstrated significant improvement, climbing four ranks in trust ratings, while Samsung dropped one position. JB Hi-Fi gained one rank, and Myer fell one position. The ABC, traditionally a
trusted institution, declined two ranks to 21st position. Among the most distrusted brands, Twitter (X) rose one rank, Tesla jumped three positions, while News Corp fell one rank, and
Harvey Norman dropped two places. TikTok improved its standing by moving down two positions in the distrust rankings, and Google climbed one rank higher in distrust levels. The five most
distrusted brands remain Woolworths, Coles, Optus, Facebook/Meta, and Qantas, though twelve-month averages show some stabilisation for the major supermarkets and improvements for Optus and
Qantas, indicating these brands face long recovery journeys. Qantas has shown consistent recovery aligned with Roy Morgan’s benchmark recovery rate. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine noted that
“the pandemic placed the major supermarkets at the centre of Australian lives, but the goodwill they built during that period has been reversed by perceptions of too profit-motivated and
unaffordable pricing.” The survey also announced winners of new enterprise awards, with Mecca earning NEO Retailer of the Year, Zimmerman taking NEO Fashion Brand of the Year, and Tesla
receiving NEO Auto Brand of the Year recognition. The findings reflect ongoing cost-of-living pressures and public scrutiny of corporate practices, particularly regarding pricing strategies
and profit margins during challenging economic conditions for Australian consumers.