Survey of 1,000 U.S. adults reveals how exhaustion with answer verification is driving people towards faster, lower-effort trust signals

INDIANAPOLIS — March 10, 2026 — PANBlast, a PR agency for B2B SaaS and emerging AI companies, today released findings from its consumer survey on trust and credibility in the digital age, introducing AI “credibility fatigue” and trust shortcuts as defining behaviors of how Americans navigate information online. The research, conducted by Dynata among 1,000 U.S. adults, reveals a public that is increasingly passive, exhausted by verifying online sources, and most reliant on brand familiarity and AI tools to decide what to believe.

“We’re seeing a cultural shift and overall weariness in how far people are willing to go to verify online information," said Lindsey Groepper, EVP of Growth at PANBlast. “With more than 1 in 3 consumers trusting Google AI summaries without double-checking the result, for example, it’s imperative in today’s search environment that a brand’s credibility is distributed across multiple visible and reliable places to show up accurately.”

Two-thirds (66%) of respondents say they feel AI credibility fatigue, or the exhaustion of verifying sources, often or sometimes when looking up information online. Among Gen Z, that figure climbs to 80%, and among Millennials, 76%. When asked what they do with untrustworthy information, the top two responses are passive: 34% ignore it, and 33% believe this is the new norm.

The most dire but agreed-upon statement: 43% don’t trust much of anything anymore.

To circumvent AI credibility fatigue, consumers are turning to trust shortcuts, or a quick signal used to decide what to believe without deep research. Seventy-seven percent of respondents said the term “trust shortcut” sounded accurate or familiar.

Brand recognition isthe top trust shortcut, with 44% of consumers relying on information from brands they’ve heard of before. Other top trust shortcuts include number of reviews (35%), Google search ranking (34%), recommendations from family or friends (34%) and ChatGPT or other LLMs (22%). Meanwhile, 37% of all respondents say they trust Google AI-generated summaries or answers without double-checking.

Despite widespread fatigue, consumers are not becoming less skeptical. Sixty-two percent expect to be more skeptical of online information in 2026, and 33% expect to maintain their current level of skepticism. Only 4% expect to be less skeptical.

Additional Findings

  • Thirty-two percent of The Silent Generation and 17% of Boomers say they don’t usually check credibility at all, more than any of the younger generations.
  • When experiencing AI credibility fatigue, 33% rely on a brand they already recognize.
  • Thirty percent of respondents say they don’t trust any single source for quick, general information.
  • Seventy-nine percent trust the first source that pops up at least sometimes, without confirming accuracy.

For more information on this survey, read the ebook or discuss what AI credibility fatigue means for your SaaS or AI business with PANBlast.

About the Survey

The PANBlast Trust Shortcuts and AI Credibility Fatigue Survey was conducted by Dynata in January 2026 among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults aged 21 and older.

About PANBlast

PANBlast (formerly BLASTmedia) is a wholly owned division of PAN, a global, integrated, brand-to-demand agency forged from PR. PANBlast is dedicated to serving emerging to high-growth B2B SaaS and AI brands like Cordial, Model N and Mood Media. For more information, visit panblastpr.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contact

Julia Hockman

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