There is no single timeless or global list of the most trusted celebrities: the answer depends on who was surveyed, where and when, and how trust was defined. In a 2011 Ipsos survey of U.S. adults, Betty White led a measure of whether respondents rated a personality above average as someone they trusted. A separate British ranking reported in 2018 put David Attenborough first. These are historical snapshots, not a current universal top ten.
Ten celebrities on a British trust ranking reported in 2018
The Independent reported this list on January 5, 2018, crediting the research to OnePoll. The ranking is British, but the report does not provide the original OnePoll methodology, so its sample, question wording and precise meaning of “trust” cannot be verified from that article.
- David Attenborough
- Tom Hanks
- Michelle Obama
- Prince William
- The Queen
- Morgan Freeman
- Prince Harry
- Stephen Hawking
- Barack Obama
- Judi Dench
The Independent’s 2018 report is a secondary account, not a published methodology or a present-day measure.
What a U.S. Ipsos survey found in 2011
Ipsos surveyed 2,012 U.S. adults online from July 7–11, 2011. Its measure asked whether respondents rated a personality above average as someone they trusted. Betty White led at 69%. The release gave these additional results:
#1 Best Overall
| Celebrity | Rated above average as someone they trusted |
|---|---|
| Betty White | 69% |
| Tom Hanks | 65% |
| Sandra Bullock | 60% |
| Morgan Freeman | 59% |
| Kate Middleton | 58% |
| Oprah Winfrey | 57% |
| Taylor Swift | 57% |
These percentages describe respondents’ answers in that particular survey; they are not current trust scores or evidence of how people everywhere feel. Ipsos used an online-panel approach and weighting, and noted that surveys may have sources of error beyond the stated probability-sample comparison. Read the Ipsos release for its survey details and caveat.
Why the two lists should not be combined
The U.S. Ipsos results and the British list reported in 2018 differ in year, geography and documented methodology. The Ipsos release supplies a sample size, dates and an operational trust measure; the Independent’s report credits OnePoll but does not give enough detail to establish an equivalent method. Combining names from the two into one ranked list would imply a comparison the evidence does not support.
Favorability is also not the same thing as trust. Ipsos reported favorability separately, and it asked separate questions about whether a celebrity endorsement would make respondents trust a company more or become more likely to do business with it. In the 2011 release, Bill Gates led the company-trust endorsement result at 53%, while Betty White led the measure of trust in a personality at 69%. The endorsement finding concerns a company, not a direct rating of trust in the celebrity.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read a celebrity trust ranking
Before treating a list as meaningful, check what it actually measures:
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- Year: Trust rankings are snapshots. A result from 2011 or 2018 cannot establish who is most trusted now.
- Population and geography: A survey of U.S. adults does not represent British respondents, or the world as a whole.
- Sample and method: Look for who was surveyed and how. The Ipsos release describes its online sample and weighting; the OnePoll methodology behind the British report is not stated there.
- Question definition: “Rated above average as someone I trust” is a particular measure, not a universal definition of trust.
- What is being trusted: Trust in a person, favorability toward a person and willingness to trust a company endorsed by that person are distinct outcomes.
No source cited here establishes a current 2026 global top ten. The defensible answer is therefore historical and specific: Attenborough topped the British list reported in 2018, while White led Ipsos’s 2011 U.S. above-average trust measure.
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