Are social media influencers a reliable source for car-related information among Britons?

Social media has changed the way consumers discover and engage with brands, with influencers emerging as pivotal figures across various industries, including fashion, beauty, food, and fitness.

A recent YouGov survey of British adults assessed the perceived usefulness of social media influencers as information sources across different product categories. The results highlight varying degrees of trust in influencer recommendations depending on the topic.

Influencers are found particularly useful for topics like fitness and exercise (68%), home repair and DIY (67%), and travel (67%). This influence extends to media (66%), food and drink (66%), clothing and fashion (65%), technology (65%), and books (63%). Health and wellness (62%) and home appliances (62%) also see significant reliance on influencers.

However, fewer consumers consider influencers valuable for diet advice (56%) and cars (56%). The perceived usefulness further declines in areas like news (51%), gaming (50%), finance (49%), politics (45%), and religion or spirituality (32%).

Generational differences also play a role in how influencers are perceived as sources of useful information. Younger generations, such as Gen Z (47%) and Millennials (40%), are more likely to view social media influencers as somewhat or very useful for car-related information. This perception drops among Gen X (34%) and Baby Boomers (27%).

Conversely, a significant portion of older generations finds influencer advice on cars unhelpful, with 36% of Baby Boomers and 29% of Gen X expressing this sentiment.

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