HOW TRUSTWORTHY IS THAT CEO?

MOST GEN Z TRUST CEOS – but only at smaller live events, trust free-falls in media interviews or ads  

Among Gen Z and Millennials, genuine trust comes from intimate, face-to-face conversations — not the media or ads. Over half of Gen Z (52%) and nearly half of Millennials (45%) say these personal interactions are the real test of authenticity.

If we look at the OVERALL results across all demographics:

32% say they find CEOs trustworthy in a small, intimate in-person gathering with peers or leaders.

19% trust CEOS in a media interview or article. 18% trust CEOS when they appear in an advertisement

We at Posthoc & our how-to guide The Salon Host thought it would be interesting to look at how trustworthy CEOs are viewed in a few different mediums, by different generations and genders across North America. We polled 5000 people with the help of Ipsos. Naturally, we are interested in how CEOs are viewed at in-person gatherings because that is what we host at Posthoc, salons with 100 people and under, and occasionally we host these where a CEO will be interviewed. But how do such gatherings measure up against earned media in the press such as a big profile of a CEO in a glossy magazine? And how does that stack up against a polished ad that features a CEO? 

We weren’t surprised to find that the 5000 polled found CEOs to be more trustworthy at an in-person gathering surrounded by their peers. But what did surprise us was that there was very little difference (1%) in how the public trust CEOs in earned media (eg. a profile in a newspaper) in comparison to a CEO in an advertisement. 

Both ads and media profiles are one-way conversations. A live, unscripted event is a give-and-take experience and there is an opportunity for the audience to question a CEO in real time as well as note body language and get a sense of the personality of the individual. Gen Z loves the vibe and there’s nothing quite like watching a human in real life to get a sense of their, you know, vibe. Recording these conversations brings the intimate feeling from the interview to the masses. Hullo, Call Your Daddy. 

Events are the shiny currency of-the-moment in media. As a member of the audience, one expects the live-ness of an event to be inoculated from deepfakes and synthetic media.

According to Gallop (October 2025), US media trust is at a record low of 28%, and now it appears that audiences judge ads and articles similarly. That makes sense, it’s frequently hard to tell what is original media, what is AI slop, and what is original media that is also sponsored content?

By Generation – Skepticism Rises w/ Age & Experience

• Gen Z (18–27): 52% trust CEOs in small gatherings vs. 31% in ads and 31% in media
• Millennials (28–43): 45% in small gatherings vs. 32% ads, 32% media
• Gen X (44–59): 25% in small gatherings vs. 11% ads, 13% media
• Boomers (60–78): 16% in small gatherings vs. 6% ads, 7% media

What’s the takeaway here?

Gen Z love the authenticity of a live event with a CEO, it makes them feel they can trust the CEO more than, say, in a media profile. Overall, younger generations show the biggest trust premium for smaller gatherings. Boomers remain skeptical across all settings, life experience has trained them to be less trust worthy of those in power. 

By Gender

• Men: 37% trust in gatherings vs. 22% ads, 25% media
• Women: 28% gatherings vs. 14% ads, 14% media

Men are more likely to grant trust overall, but both men and women favor small gatherings.

Regional Patterns

• Northeast: 36% gatherings vs. 20% ads, 22% media
• West: 30% gatherings vs. 17% ads, 17% media
• South: 30% gatherings vs. 16% ads, 16% media
• Midwest: 29% gatherings vs. 16% ads, 20% media

The Northeast leads in valuing small gatherings as a trust driver — important for NYC media & business markets.

What are the takeaways from this poll?

What does this all mean for CEOs?

CEO’s can’t live in small rooms all the time talking to audiences of under 100 (salons, peer roundtables, sit-down-dinners). It would be ridiculous to suggest otherwise.  But they should put smaller events filled with important stakeholders and influencers into frequent rotation, giving the audience an opportunity to ask the CEO questions directly. It’s not just a nice-to-have strategy, it’s essential. By doing these regularly, one is also building a community of loyalty and trust around you, influential individuals who are more likely to have your back when the shit hits the fan. So for the CEO, take the show on the road and gather community leaders, partners, potential customers and current customers, investors, top talent, and media together regularly. Then follow up with each of those relationships ongoing.  

Intimacy and access – that is what appeals to the public right now when it comes to trusting CEOs. One possibility is hosting a live salon format that is live streamed to a particular audience, and then give that audience the opportunity to ask questions. 

Use mass channels to amplify the intimacy. By recording a video and podcast of live conversations helps a much larger audience get a sense of how the CEO communicates without actually being in the room. A video recording is the next best thing, throw it up on to YouTube, put tight, short, sparkly edits up on to your socials, and your audience is now worldwide. 

We live in an era where CEOs go on podcasts and talk to the hosts for hours, frankly and informally. If you can’t do that, you’re missing out. 

What Do These Poll Results Mean for Media Companies?

Media companies are crushing live events right now, and that’s where the sponsors are turning up making the events core revenue streams to the overall business. Go small if you can. 

Live journalism earns trust from the audience because it’s interactive. And our poll suggests that Gen Z in particular loves the live events, so you can use these events as a vehicle for bringing in a new young audience. 

Your events team might be more specialised at larger gatherings. Partner up with smaller outfits (like Posthoc!) who specialise in more intimate events for the win. 

What Do These Polls Mean for Comms Agencies?

Educate your clients. They may still be stuck with expectations that worked in 2014 but not 2025. With fewer people reading, and with the overall suspicion of anything reported in the media itself, it makes sense to find other ways to support your CEO clients as they try to communicate with the outside world. You have so much to offer them in terms of expertise and a cool, outside eye. 

The days of sending out masses of email pitches to print journalists are long over. Rejigger the media mix to reflect the times we are in. Shift some of the budget over from securing impressions over to in-person trust creation events. Train your clients for small-room candor; emphasise listening, an ability to say I-don’t-know, and story-telling. All of these add credibility and humanness. 

And finally, use smaller events not just for the benefit of the comms department but also for recruitment, business development and fund raising – now you’re a full-on consulting firm providing great value to your client while protecting your business from the winds of change in the media world. 

WHAT DO THESE POLL RESULTS MEAN ACROSS GENERATIONS?

Gen Z/Millennials reward proximity. Our data shows ~2–3x intimate event trust vs media/ads among the under-45s.

Gen X floats in the middle.

Boomers are skeptical across the board. Still, even here, small events beat other channels—so zero in on the format for boardrooms, investors, and policy circles.

Consider small spaces as the new public square. Younger cohorts increasingly hang in semi-private digital spaces (group chats, creators’ communities)—and smaller shindigs mirror that dynamic IRL.

HERE ARE THE STATS FROM OUR POSTHOC POLL IN ONE PLACE:

• In-person beats mass channels:
  – 32% say they find CEOs trustworthy in a small, intimate in-person gathering with peers or leaders.
  – Just 19% trust them in a media interview or article.
  – Only 18% trust them in an advertisement.
• Distrust flips the story:
  – 40% say CEOs in ads are not trustworthy.
  – 32% say the same for media.
  – Just 18% distrust CEOs in small gatherings.
• Generational divide:
  – Gen Z (18–27): 52% trust CEOs in small gatherings vs 28% in ads, 31% in media.
  – Millennials (28–43): 45% vs 31% vs 32%.
  – Gen X (44–59): 25% vs 11% vs 13%.
  – Boomers (60–78): 16% vs 6% vs 7%.
• Gender split:
  – Men: 37% trust in salons, 25% in media, 22% in ads.
  – Women: 28% in salons, 14% in media, 14% in ads.
• Regional note:
  – Northeast: 36% trust CEOs in small gatherings vs 22% media, 20% ads

Who was polled: 5,018 U.S. adults, nationally representative by age, gender, income, and region.

When: September 15–22, 2025.

Methodology: Online survey; margin of error ±1.5% by IPSOS