When making a decision about large purchases, most US consumers consider brand trust to have a great deal or a lot of influence on their decision, according to a report from SurveyMonkey. And consumers in Canada and the UK agree.

The report found that 31% of US adults said that brand trust has a great deal of impact on their purchasing decisions, while 37% said brand trust has a lot of influence on their purchase decisions. In Canada and the UK, 69% and 57% of respondents, respectively, agreed. These findings bolster previous research that found that the world’s consumers tend to buy and recommend products from companies they trust.

Additional finding from the SurveyMonkey report include:

• The influence of brand trust stayed mostly consistent across age groups, but more women than men found brand trust to be influential (72% vs. 63%).
• Consumers greatly prefer established brands over startups, especially for larger purchases. For medical purchases, 92% of respondents would prefer to receive healthcare from an established brand than a startup. However, respondents indicated they would trust a spinoff brand from a trusted brand about as much as they would the original brand.
• The biggest reason for losing trust in a brand, according to 81% of US respondents, 73% in UK and 71% in Canada, is poor product experience. Poor customer experience also is a trust-breaker. Additional reasons to lose trust in a brand include a security breach, offensive ads and leadership scandals.
• A lack of social media presence is not as bothersome to consumers as is the lack of a website. Only 7% of survey respondents said they have a great deal of trust in a brand without a website, while 11% said they have a lot of trust in a brand without a website. The percentages were about double when applied to brands without a social media presence.