Consumer trust and concerns in August 2025
Summary
- Trust in the water industry has fallen to +14, the lowest level of trust in the water industry in over ten years, perhaps reflecting rises in water bills and pollution incidents hitting a new record in July.
- Trust in the insurance and social media network has remained the lowest among all sectors that we ask about.
- Energy prices and food prices continue to be the most commonly cited concerns for consumers (81%, 82%), perhaps reflecting anticipation about energy price increases and rising food inflation. For the first time since data collection began, consumers are more concerned about food prices than energy prices.
- Almost nine in ten (87%) of working age parents are concerned about food prices, an increase of seven percentage points from the previous quarter.
Trust in the water industry continues to fall
Consumers’ trust in the water industry fell by 5 points to +14 in August compared to the last survey in May. This is the lowest level of trust in the water industry in over ten years (since December 2014). The score represents 42% of consumers reporting that they trust water companies and 28% say they distrusting the industry. The remaining 30% of respondents neither trust nor don’t trust water companies or don’t know.
Falling trust in the water industry may reflect the increase in water bills since April, as well as widespread criticism of water companies and sewage spills with pollution incidents hitting a new record in July.
Trust in the insurance sector and social media platforms has remained the lowest among all sectors that we ask about and are the only sectors with negative trust levels, ie more people saying they distrust companies in that sector than trust them. Trust in the insurance sector decreased by two points to -17, representing 22% of consumers trusting the sector and four in ten (40%) distrusting the sector.
Trust in the water industry fell to +14
Source: Which? Consumer Insight Tracker, Online Poll weighted to be nationally representative, approx 2,000 respondents per wave. Net trust is the proportion of consumers who say they trust a sector to act in their best interest quite a lot or a great deal minus the proportion who say they don’t trust a sector very much or at all.
Energy prices and food prices remain the most commonly cited concerns
There was a general increase in consumer concern across most consumer issues that we measure in August compared to May. Energy prices and food prices continue to be the most commonly cited concerns for consumers (81% and 82%, respectively).
Despite the decrease in energy prices in July, concern about energy prices has remained high, consistent with the last quarter. Recently Ofgem announced a rise in energy prices from October, although the survey was conducted before this announcement, there were anticipations of this increase. Additionally, energy prices are still much higher than pre-pandemic levels, contributing to this sustained concern.
Consumer concern about food prices has slightly increased by three percentage points to 82%, likely reflecting concerns about rising food price inflation. This is the first time since the survey began in 2012 that consumers' concern about food prices is higher than energy prices, albeit the difference is not statistically significant.
Eight in ten (82%) of consumers are worried about food prices
Source: Which? Consumer Insight Tracker: Online poll weighted to be nationally representative, approximately 2,000 respondents per wave. UK level data are weighted to represent the adult population of the UK by age, gender, region, social grade, working status and housing tenure. Respondents had the option to select not applicable if they felt that consumer issue did not apply to them. If they selected not applicable they are not included in the proportion
Almost nine in ten working age parents are concerned about food prices
In August, almost nine in ten (87%) of working age parents reported being concerned about food prices. This is an increase of six percentage points from the last time this question was asked in May. This group's level of concern about food prices is consistent with what they reported in November 2022, during the peak of the cost of living crisis and when inflation exceeded 10%.
In comparison, eight in ten (79%) pensioners reported being concerned, an increase of two percentage points and eight in ten (81%) working age non-parents reported being concerned, the same as in May.
Almost nine in ten (87%) of working age parents are concerned about food prices
Source: Which? Consumer Insight Tracker: Online poll weighted to be nationally representative, approximately 2,000 respondents per wave. UK level data are weighted to represent the adult population of the UK by age, gender, region, social grade, working status and housing tenure.Data for demographic groups are unweighted and samples vary between waves. Typical sample sizes per wave range from 528-578 for working age parents, 982-1,052 for working age non-parents and 473-539 for pensioners (based on middle quartiles).
Methodology
The Which? Consumer Insight Tracker is a monthly survey conducted by Yonder on behalf of Which?, but with questions on consumer trust and worries asked quarterly. The latest wave of data collection took place between 13th and 15th of August. A sample of 2,081 UK adults were surveyed online and weighted to be nationally representative.