Only 5% of Americans say corporate statements are fully credible

New research from Resonant Advisory Group says corporate credibility is weakening across the U.S., with just 5% of adults calling company statements completely credible. The findings suggest companies face growing skepticism around AI, crisis messaging and executive communication at a time when transparency may matter more than polish.

Why it matters: - Corporate credibility is no longer a background issue. The survey suggests companies are starting from a weak position with the public and may have even less room for error during layoffs, crises and leadership changes. - The report argues credibility is earned or lost in everyday interactions, not just in major brand moments. That makes customer service, sales claims and executive messaging part of the same reputation risk. - The findings also point to a business cost. When credibility slips, hard decisions are harder to explain and easier for employees and customers to question.

What happened: - Resonant Advisory Group released a report titled “The Credibility Deficit: Why Business Starts Behind, and How It Earns Its Way Back One Interaction at a Time.” - The report is based on a national survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by DHM Research in partnership with Verasight. - Just 5% of Americans said corporate statements are “completely credible.” - 63% said crisis communications have become less credible over the past year. - Across nine industries tested, none reached 10% of respondents calling their statements completely credible. - AI emerged as the least credible topic in corporate communication.

The details: - Nearly half of respondents, 48%, said AI in business operations is not credible. - AI adoption tied with “responsibility to shareholders to be profitable” as the least credible explanation for a hard business decision, at 27% each. - Inflation and rising costs drew the most acceptance as a layoff explanation, with 45% calling it credible. - Across seven head-to-head leadership comparisons, respondents chose the steadier option in six. - Practical leadership beat visionary leadership 74% to 26%. - An employee- and stability-focused leader beat a tech-forward leader 85% to 15%, the widest margin in the survey. - The only exception was visibility: a visible, socially present CEO beat a low-visibility CEO 57% to 43%. - The report groups credibility into four channels: company conduct, industry standing, societal engagement and community investment. - 79% said a company earns more credibility by disclosing bad news before others expose it. - 57% said one company’s poorly explained crisis can damage views of an entire industry.

Between the lines: - The AI results suggest a mismatch between corporate messaging and public skepticism. Companies are leaning on AI to explain layoffs and other tough choices just as audiences are most skeptical of that framing. - The report’s “affluence paradox” shows skepticism is stronger among higher-income and more news-engaged respondents, the audiences many companies rely on most. - Crisis statements were seen as less credible by 54% of people earning under $50,000, compared with 70% of those earning $150,000 or more. - That figure rose from 46% among infrequent news consumers to 65% among people who follow business news daily or most days. - The report frames the problem as chronic, not sudden. The implication is that companies may not be able to repair credibility with messaging alone. - Erik Moser, president of Resonant Advisory Group, said companies have “stretched credibility to its potential limits” and need to focus on daily interactions, simpler language and accountability. - The report concludes that most of the public already does not believe companies, leaving more to gain from honesty than from polish.

What's next: - Resonant Advisory Group says companies should focus less on polished narratives and more on transparency, accountability and consistent daily behavior. - The report suggests future credibility gains will depend on whether companies can close the gap between what they say and what customers and employees see. - Businesses that keep relying on AI or profit-first explanations for difficult decisions may face more skepticism, not less.

The bottom line: - Corporate credibility is fragile, and the survey suggests straightforward honesty may work better than sophisticated messaging in rebuilding it.