Public Resource
2022 Trusted Messengers Study: The Annual Study of Who Americans Trust On Social and Societal Issues
Ad Council Research Institute
Americans seek the advice and opinions of people they trust for information on key social issues—those they deem honest, consistent, informed, and unbiased. Americans most overwhelmingly trust to the people closest to them (spouse, friend, family), as well as experts (doctors, scientists, accredited professionals) and news messengers. This resource describes some key communication lessons, given these truths. First, pick your messengers carefully. Second, meet your audience where they are along the knowledge journey. Third, leverage trusted messengers to develop the creative strategy, not just activate it. Fourth, use the outer circle to influence the inner circle. This report describes these lessons in more detail.