Trust in recommendations from social media influencers varies widely between older and younger generations, according to recent research from Clutch.
The report was based on data from a survey conducted in June 2025 among 277 people in the United States age 18 and older.
Some 55% of Gen Z respondents say they trust influencer recommendations, compared with 44% of Millennial respondents, 35% of Gen X respondents, and 28% of Baby Boomer respondents.
Respondents say they trust the recommendations of YouTube influencers most, among those on various visual social media platforms.
More than half (53%) of respondents say they have less trust in a product recommendation if the influencer is paid.
Some 30% of respondents say that it doesn't matter to them how many followers an influencer has when they see a recommendation, whereas 20% say they prefer product recommendations from microinfluencers (those with 10,000-100,000 followers).
About the research: The report was based on data from a survey conducted in June 2025 among 277 people in the United States aged 18 and older.
