Do Americans care about brand values? Trust leads overall, but priorities shift by generation

Brand values are important to Americans, particularly when it comes to trust.

Data from YouGov Profiles shows that honesty (74%) and trustworthiness (71%) are the most important brand values among U.S. adults. A majority also prioritize consistency in what brands say and do (60%), while over half value acting genuinely (57%) and having authenticity (54%).

By comparison, fewer Americans say it is most important that brands stand for something (32%), reflect their personal views (22%) or are clever or witty (21%).

However, the importance of these brand values varies across generations.

Trust matters more to older Americans

Older generations place significantly more emphasis on trust-based brand values.

Among Baby Boomers, 84% say honesty is most important compared to 66% of Gen Z, an 18-point gap. A similar pattern is seen for trustworthiness (80% vs. 65%, a 15-point difference).

Other trust-related attributes also rank higher among older consumers. Having principles (57%) and consistency (63%) are more likely to be prioritized by Boomers than younger groups.

Gen X shows a similar pattern, with relatively high importance placed on honesty (78%) and trustworthiness (74%).

Younger consumers place more emphasis on identity and expression

While younger Americans also value trust-based attributes, they place relatively more emphasis on other brand values.

Around a third of Gen Z (34%) and Millennials (33%) say it is most important that brands stand for something, broadly in line with older groups. Differences are more pronounced when it comes to whether brands reflect their personal views: 24% of Gen Z and Millennials say this is most important, compared to 18% of Baby Boomers, a 6-point gap.

Younger consumers are also more likely to say it is important that brands are clever or witty (22-23%, compared to17% of Baby Boomers).

Brand values matter but priorities differ by generation

Taken together, the data shows that while trust-based brand values such as honesty, trustworthiness and consistency are most important overall, there are clear generational differences in emphasis.

Older consumers are more likely to prioritize these trust-related attributes, while younger audiences place relatively more importance on brands that stand for something and reflect their personal views.

Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Figures are drawn from responses collected between March 2025 to March 2026 using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data is nationally representative of adults (18+) in the US and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race.