When it comes to consumers, behavioral and psychological studies can help corporations, government, and the public to understand trends and values.

Recently, the research company Morning Consult conducted a study to gauge public trust in a variety of entities, including doctors, teachers, public figures, celebrities, institutions and brands.

Survey results indicated that Americans trust that Amazon (AMZN  ) and Google, owned by Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL  ), will "do the right thing" more than teachers, scientific studies, the police, news media and U.S. government.

"It's no secret that trust is key to brand success," said Michael Ramlet, Morning Consult CEO. "In today's climate, every single day presents leaders with the opportunity to cultivate reliability - a key driver of trust."

More trustworthy than Amazon and Google were primary doctors and the military.

The least trustworthy out of all the given selections was Hollywood.

However, some actors and other public figures ranked higher on the list as individuals, including Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey. While President Donald Trump ranked beneath Hanks and Winfrey, he outranked the news media, U.S. government, and Wall Street.

When it comes to brands specifically, the top five that the U.S. trusts to "do what is right," according to the Morning Consult study, are as follows and in this order:

1. United States Postal Service (USPS)
2. Amazon
3. Google
4. PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL  ), owned by though operated separately than eBay (EBAY  )
5. Weather Channel (owned by the privately-held Entertainment Studios, Inc.)

When asked why respondents trust the postal service the most, common responses were "reliable" and "they always deliver the mail no matter the weather."

In addition to aggregate top choices, Morning Consult also looked closely at brands across generations to determine if Gen Z adults, Millennials (also known as Gen Y), Gen X, and Baby Boomers differed. While many consistencies between generations were present, Google didn't end up on the Baby Boomer's top 25 brands yet was second for Gen X and first for Millennials and Gen Z adults.

The non-profit American Automobile Association (AAA) as well as Betty Crocker, owned by General Mills, Inc. (GIS  ), were both present in the top 25 brands for Baby Boomers and Gen X and disappeared in the top 25 lists of Millennials and Gen Z adults.

When it came to Gen Z adults, the results showed trust in several brands that didn't appear on the top 25 lists of any of the older generations, including Nintendo Co. Ltd. (NTDOY  ), Marvel Studios, which is owned by Walt Disney Co (DIS  ), and PlayStation, owned by Sony Corporation (SNE  ). PlayStation was fifth on the list of top trusted brands for Gen Z adults.

Sources