Thales has published its 2026 Digital Trust Index, which surveyed more than 15,000 consumers, business partners, and IT decision makers across 13 industries. The research shows that digital trust is won or lost during sign-up, login, and throughout the lifecycle of personal data handling.
For consumers, digital trust often begins at login. Yet, 57% reported problems accessing a website in the past year, and 68% abandoned or switched providers due to slow performance or complicated sign-up processes. When access feels too slow or intrusive, 33% switch to a competitor or abandon the attempt, while 36% delay engagement or look for alternative channels.
Consumers are not demanding speed at the expense of security. 45% say that they favour stronger security checks, even if sign-ups take longer, compared to 22% who favour faster access with lighter protections. Familiar safeguards help build confidence, with 69% saying multifactor authentication increases trust and 68% saying the same about passkeys. However, only 16% say they clearly understand how companies collect and use their personal data.
AI adoption outpaces trust
As organizations accelerate their use of generative AI, 93% of IT leaders say they are already using, deploying, or planning AI initiatives. This adoption comes with a hidden threat: consumer confidence has not kept pace. Only 23% say they trust companies to use AI responsibly with their data, while 77% remain concerned about AI agents acting on their behalf online.
The 2026 Digital Trust Index shows that as AI adoption is accelerating, trust is struggling to keep pace. When AI simply helps people work faster, confidence is high. But when AI starts acting autonomously and making decisions or interacting with systems on a user’s behalf, people begin asking harder questions about security, control, and accountability.
Danny DeVreeze, Vice President of Identity and Access Management at Thales
Architecting access
The Digital Trust Index 2026 shows that identity and access management are commercial levers, not back-office functions. Trust improves when authentication and permissions are reliable, adaptive, and clearly explained. When they are slow or opaque, abandonment rises, credential sharing spreads, and revenue leaks. Organizations that modernize authentication, limit unnecessary data collection, provide permission visibility, and deploy AI transparently will be best positioned to compete in an increasingly digital and AI-driven economy.
Methodology
The research was conducted by Vanson Bourne in January-February 2026, surveying 14,300 consumers, 1,300 partner users and 200 IT decision makers across the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, the UAE, South Africa, Singapore, Japan and Australia.
