People trust Google and Amazon more than Tom Hanks, report finds

Who could possibly be more trustworthy than Tom Hanks — America’s , aka Forest Gump, Mr. Rogers, and Woody from Toy Story? Amazon and Google, apparently.

Despite their many of scandals over the past year, the two tech giants nearly topped the list of the most trusted brands in the U.S., behind only the U.S. Postal Service, according to a report published Monday by market research firm Morning Consult.

Across age groups, 39 percent and 38 percent of people trust Amazon and Google “a lot” to do the right thing, respectively. To put that in perspective, that’s more than the 36 percent of people who trust “extreme weather warnings” and the 34 percent of people who trust Tom Hanks.

Google, specifically, is the most trusted brand among millennials and Gen Z; Amazon ranks third. It’s surprising considering the report notes that “Gen Z and millennials hold brands to a higher standard” and that they are “more distrusting of brands across the board.”

“Distrust is particularly high when it comes to institutions and major concentrations of power,” the report writes. “Young Americans are generally more skeptical of brands, and put greater emphasis on ethical matters.”

The report adds that young Americans are likely to prioritize “strong ethical or political values” and how companies treat employees. Ironically, both issues have brought Google and Amazon under scrutiny over the past year. They also said how companies protect their data was the most important factor when it came to trustworthiness. Google and Amazon had problems with that, too. But apparently that wasn’t enough to keep the two companies from earning customers’ trust. 

Overall, the tech industry ranked second in consumer trust; the food and beverage industry ranked first, while the airline industry ranked third.