YouGov: Two-fifths of HKers consider health influencers a reliable source of information

Close to two-fifths of Hong Kong consumers consider health influencers a reliable source of information on health and wellness, a YouGov study finds.  

On the occasion of World Health Day, a YouGov study across 17 international markets sheds light on the extent to which consumers look to medical practitioners versus healthcare companies, personal trainers versus fitness influencers for advice on health and wellness. 

Data from YouGov Surveys has found that close to two-fifths of consumers in Hong Kong (38%) say they find at least some health and wellness information offered by social media influencers to be trustworthy, compared to just a sixth (16%) of consumers internationally. 

Consumers in Hong Kong are also significantly more likely than global consumers to look to their friends or family and pharmaceutical companies for health and wellness advice. 

On the flipside, only 59% of Hong Kong consumers say they think medical practitioners are a reliable source of health information, noticeably lower than the 65% average internationally. 

A similar age-based pattern can be observed for trust in social media influencers in providing reliable health information: while a quarter of younger Gen Z (28%) and millennial (24%) consumers indicate so, around a fifth of Gen X (22%) and eight of Baby Boomers (12%) say the same.  

While most Gen X (61%) and millennials (53%) in Hong Kong regard medical practitioners as a reliable source of health information, less than half of Gen Z (48%) say the same. 

The survey also found that millennials in Hong Kong are significantly more likely than other generations to trust their gym/personal trainer (35%) to provide reliable health information. 

Meanwhile, when it comes to health and wellness information offered by social media influencers, close to half of younger consumers from Gen Z (48%) and millennials (46%) consider them to be reliable, compared to less than two-fifths of Gen X (38%). 

Don't miss: Study: 67% of marketers to increase investments in influencer marketing in 2024

The phenomenon also comes in line with the growing popularity of influencer marketing as 67% of marketers said that they are upping their investment in influencer marketing this year, according to Partipost's latest report titled "2024 Influencer Marketing Insights: Key Metrics and Industry Trends".

Out of the marketers who are increasing their investment in influencer marketing, 23% have dedicated nearly half of their total budget to it. 

This surge is likely due to the evolving consumer landscape where today's consumers crave authenticity, a personalised touch and narratives that resonate with their personal experiences and aspirations. 

Join us this coming 26 June for Content360 Hong Kong, a one-day-two-streams extravaganza under the theme of "Content that captivates". Get together with our fellow marketers to learn about AI in content creation, integration of content with commerce and cross-border targeting, and find the recipe for success within the content marketing world! 

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