In a new study of 24,000 Americans, Triton Digital's Application & Services division found that consumers trust traditional media more than digital. Specifically, television was rated the most trusted medium by respondents (45 percent# followed by newspapers #20 percent# and radio #18 percent#. The Immediate Insights survey found that digital #13 percent# and social media #four percent# were the least trusted media sources.

The study also suggests that this trust may have a direct impact on the success of advertisements in each medium. For example, more than 64 percent of consumers acknowledged that they have made a purchase after seeing it advertised on television, radio or in a newspaper. Conversely, consumers were more apt to trust their own internet research #61 percent# over television commercials #28 percent#, radio commercials #21 percent#, or newspaper ads #16 percent). Recommendation engines also scored low, with 17 percent of respondents noting that they influence buying decisions.

"While digital media continues to explode in popularity and affect traditional media usage, the underlying trust of media consumers toward digital compared to traditional media are not yet equal," said Triton VP of Business Strategy Jim Kerr. "Similarly, traditional media advertising continues to prove effective and more likely to influence purchase decisions than digital ads."

Looking at gender spits from Triton Digital's data on radio, 19.8 percent of males called radio their most trusted source of news and information, with 16.3 percent of females. Additionally, 21.2 percent of male respondents and 20.7 percent of females said radio ads influence their buying.

You can read more data from the Triton Digital survey here (in PDF format).