A measure of UK brand trust, boycott behavior, and attitudes toward consumer protection regulation. Two in three Britons will stop buying once trust breaks, and in 2026 the fastest way to break it is price.
The 2026 UK Brand Trust & Regulation Barometer is a study by Miss Investigate of 2,000 UK adults, measuring how consumers assign and withdraw trust from major brands, what breaks that trust, how they respond, and how aware they are of the regulator's new reach. The timing matters: the Competition and Markets Authority gained direct enforcement powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act on April 6, 2025, with fines of up to 10% of global annual turnover, and opened its first eight consumer-protection investigations in November 2025 (Taylor Wessing, 2025). This study measures how consumers are exercising their own enforcement, one purchase at a time.
McDonald's, Tesco, and Amazon top the distrust list. Asked which brand they trust least, 24% of respondents named McDonald's, 20% Tesco, and 19% Amazon, followed by Asda at 12%, Primark at 9%, and Starbucks at 8%. The brands consumers encounter most in daily spending are the ones they most readily distrust.
Brand trusted leastshare naming each, n=2,000
Brand trusted least, The 2026 UK Brand Trust & Regulation Barometer, Miss Investigate, n=2,000, 2026.
| Least trusted brand | Share |
|---|---|
| McDonald's | 24% |
| Tesco | 20% |
| Amazon | 19% |
| Asda | 12% |
| Primark | 9% |
| Starbucks | 8% |
Familiarity, for the UK's biggest retail names, breeds distrust rather than loyalty.
Price is the single biggest trust-breaker. Twenty-six percent name high prices as the single biggest reason they would lose trust in a brand, ahead of poor service or quality at 19% and unfair treatment at 18%. Unethical practices follow at 12%, and every other reason, from ignoring complaints to environmental harm, sits in single digits. In a cost-of-living squeeze, the fastest way to feel exploited is to feel overcharged.
Single biggest reason for losing trust in a brandshare naming each, n=2,000
Single biggest trust-breaker, The 2026 UK Brand Trust & Regulation Barometer, Miss Investigate, n=2,000, 2026.
| Trust-breaker | Share |
|---|---|
| High prices | 26% |
| Poor service or quality | 19% |
| Unfair treatment | 18% |
| Unethical practices | 12% |
| Ignoring complaints | 9% |
| Misleading advertising | 6% |
| Health or safety risk | 6% |
| Environmental harm | 2% |
| Leadership scandal | 2% |
Trust in 2026 is a pricing question before it is an ethics question.
Two-thirds will stop buying once trust is gone. Thirty-nine percent are very likely and 27% likely to stop buying from a brand entirely once they lose trust in it, a combined 66%. Eighteen percent are neutral, 10% unlikely, and only 6% say they are not at all likely to walk.
Likelihood of stopping purchases after losing trustshare at each level, n=2,000
Likelihood of stopping purchases after losing trust, The 2026 UK Brand Trust & Regulation Barometer, Miss Investigate, n=2,000, 2026.
| Likelihood | Share |
|---|---|
| Very likely | 39% |
| Likely | 27% |
| Neutral | 18% |
| Unlikely | 10% |
| Not at all likely | 6% |
In the UK, lost trust is rarely a warning shot, it is an exit.
They quit, then they talk. Sixty-six percent stop buying and 45% tell friends or family, a word-of-mouth penalty that rises to 48% among women. Twenty-three percent complain to the company, 15% do nothing, and 11% post on social media. The most common second move after leaving is to take other customers with them.
Response after losing trust in a brandshare choosing each, multiple responses permitted, n=2,000
Response after losing trust, The 2026 UK Brand Trust & Regulation Barometer, Miss Investigate, n=2,000, 2026.
| Response | Share |
|---|---|
| Stop buying from it | 66% |
| Tell friends or family | 45% |
| Complain to the company | 23% |
| Do nothing | 15% |
| Post on social media | 11% |
The damage rarely ends with one lost customer, because the most common next step is to tell everyone else.
Young shoppers weigh environmental harm far more heavily. Thirty-four percent of 18-to-24-year-olds cite environmental harm as a trust-breaker, against 24% of those 25 to 54 and 18% of those 55 and over, a 16-point gap between youngest and oldest. The regulatory backdrop has hardened around the same period: the CMA gained direct enforcement powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act on April 6, 2025, with fines of up to 10% of global turnover, and opened its first eight consumer-law investigations in November 2025.
Cite environmental harm as a trust-breaker, by ageshare, n=2,000
Environmental harm as trust-breaker by age, The 2026 UK Brand Trust & Regulation Barometer, Miss Investigate, n=2,000, 2026.
| Age group | Cite environmental harm |
|---|---|
| 18 to 24 | 34% |
| 25 to 54 | 24% |
| 55 and over | 18% |
The trust criteria are shifting by generation, and the youngest cohort is grading brands on conduct their elders discount.
Refunds beat apologies. Thirty-one percent say a refund or compensation would most help rebuild trust after a scandal, ahead of a public apology at 21%, internal policy reform at 18%, and transparent communication at 17%. Thirteen percent say nothing would rebuild it. The pressure to get it right is high: 72% have switched to a cheaper brand in the past year, and 54% say knowing a brand faced regulatory enforcement would affect their willingness to buy.
What would most rebuild trust after a scandalshare choosing each, n=2,000
What rebuilds trust after a scandal, The 2026 UK Brand Trust & Regulation Barometer, Miss Investigate, n=2,000, 2026.
| Rebuilds trust | Share |
|---|---|
| Refund or compensation | 31% |
| Public apology | 21% |
| Internal policy reform | 18% |
| Transparent communication | 17% |
| Nothing would rebuild it | 13% |
British consumers want to be made whole first and reassured second.
The number that sets the terms is 66%: two in three UK adults will stop buying once trust breaks. In a year defined by price, with 72% having already switched to a cheaper brand, the surest way to keep a customer is to avoid handing them both a reason to leave and a cheaper place to go.
Figures in this report are illustrative survey estimates modelled on published YouGov, Attest, Which?, and Liquidation Centre UK brand trust benchmarks and are presented for research demonstration purposes. Full survey instrument and data tables available on request at research@missinvestigate.com.
Which brands do Britons trust least?
McDonald's (24%), Tesco (20%), and Amazon (19%).
What breaks trust fastest?
High prices, cited by 26% as the single biggest trust-breaker.
How likely are shoppers to stop buying?
66% are likely to stop buying entirely once they lose trust.
What do consumers do after losing trust?
66% stop buying and 45% tell friends or family.
Is there a generational divide?
Yes. 34% of 18-to-24s cite environmental harm as a trust-breaker versus 18% of those 55 and over.
What rebuilds trust?
A refund or compensation (31%), ahead of a public apology (21%).