Insight Bite: Gallup says 'trust' is your biggest advantage

But AI is coming for that too.

Insight Bite: October 8, 2026.

Business still has goodwill. But the margin for error is getting thinner.

Image/source: Gallup.com

The 2026 Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Survey finds that 61% of Americans believe businesses have a positive impact on people’s lives. However, that trust is slipping in some of the areas that matter most right now: AI, pricing, ethics, sustainability and whether companies are living up to the expectations people have for them.

That is what makes this report worth reading. It's a reminder that people still believe business can make a difference, but they are watching more closely how that influence is used.

For leaders, marketers and communicators, the opportunity is to understand where confidence is holding, where skepticism is growing and what it will take to keep earning trust. 

Download the report here. (Gallup)