UAE Residents Rank Social Media Influencers as Least Trusted Profession in 2025

• Influencers ranked as least trusted for the first time: 21% of UAE residents believe social media influencers have the poorest reputation.
• Telemarketing concerns persist: Telemarketers and call centres follow closely at 19%.
• Credit card issuers (13%) and real estate brokers (8%) continue to face criticism due to high charges and misleading advice.
• Recruiters remain in fourth place, rising slightly from 9% to 11%, signalling the need for improved transparency and responsiveness.
• Westerners, Arab expats, and Emiratis are most critical of influencers, whereas Asians (23%) expressed stronger dissatisfaction with telemarketing.
• Perceptions of financial advisers improve: Bank advisers dropped from 12% to 5%, while independent advisers declined from 7% to 5% compared to 2024.

For the first time, social media influencers have emerged as the UAE’s most distrusted profession, according to Insight Discovery’s seventh annual Worst Reputation in the UAE survey. Influencers have overtaken credit card issuers, who, alongside recruiters, dominated the top spot for much of the past six years.

The findings reveal growing public dissatisfaction with the influencer industry, particularly around lack of transparency, unregulated promotions, and accountability. This year’s survey shows 21% of UAE residents ranked influencers as having the worst reputation, followed by telemarketers and call centres (19%), credit card issuers (13%), recruitment firms (11%), and real estate agents (8%). Other groups, including internal recruiters, financial advisers, and executive search firms, featured lower in the rankings.

The shift reflects a significant change in public sentiment, with recruiters no longer dominating the top position. The growing mistrust towards influencers is largely driven by concerns over undisclosed sponsorships, misleading recommendations, and risks linked to “finfluencers” promoting unregulated investment schemes. According to Insight Discovery, this trend has had a notable impact on public perception and trust.

Nigel Sillitoe, CEO of Insight Discovery, commented: ‘The rise of influencers to the top of this list is a clear wake-up call for the industry. As audiences tire of the behaviour of some influencers and grow more conscious of the risks linked to unregulated online advice, the demand for greater transparency and accountability has never been stronger. The recent licensing regime introduced by the UAE government and the Securities and Commodities Authority for finfluencers is a vital step towards rebuilding trust and protecting consumers.’

The study also highlights minimal gender differences, with men and women largely sharing similar views on reputational standings. However, perceptions varied by demographic: Westerners, Arab expats, and Emiratis were most critical of influencers, while Asians (23%) expressed greater concerns about telemarketing practices. In Dubai, 10% of residents rated real estate agents unfavourably, particularly middle-income earners and professionals aged 25-44.

When it comes to financial services, bank financial advisers remain viewed negatively by 9% of Emiratis and 8% of Abu Dhabi residents, while independent advisers were rated poorly among Westerners (11%) and high-income earners (9%). Internal recruiters continue to face reputational challenges, especially among Emiratis (10%) and Arab expatriates (7%).