Farming and ranching lead New Mexico’s most trusted industries amid growing distrust, survey finds

Chuckles, groans and a bit of soul-searching took place in Old Town on Wednesday as a group of business professionals gathered to hear how much, or how little, New Mexicans trust them.

Economic Forum of Albuquerque was the occasion and trust was the topic that brought the professionals together at the Albuquerque Museum. The gathering featured a presentation from Tom Garrity, founder and president of The Garrity Group, a public relations firm that does public relations work for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

The firm, created in 1997, has released an annual survey on what industries and professions New Mexicans favor and trust since 2011.

The Garrity Group started releasing the Garrity Perception Survey — researched, planned and executed by Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc. — to provide valuable insights to its clients and New Mexicans to increase understanding between the two and better awareness of what’s working and what isn’t.

“The reason that trust is important to us is because it’s the invisible glue that holds a productive society together,” Garrity told the room.

This year’s survey sampled 415 residents across New Mexico and evaluated favorability and trust of 17 industries and institutions, and 15 people and professions.

Eighty percent of those surveyed viewed the farming and ranching industries most favorably — up from 72% in 2011.

This is the first time farming and ranching have surpassed small business to reach the most favorable spot. This year, 79% of people viewed small business favorably.

The industries viewed least favorably were national banks at 29% and the courts and justice system at 24%.

Family members or relatives topped the list of most trusted people or professions at 68%. Teachers were the second most trusted at 57%. State and federal government officials neared the bottom of the list, at 19% and 17%, respectively. The least trusted profession was advertising executives at 9%.

Garrity noted that the number of industries, institutions and professions trusted or viewed favorably — receiving a rating of more than 50% — has declined. Garrity said he sees the trend of distrust continuing over the next few years, largely due to a shift in how people access their news.

Before the pandemic, the majority of those surveyed accessed news through television, followed by online news sites, radio and newspapers. In 2025, online news sites jumped to the No. 1 way those surveyed access their news.

Garrity said people’s preference for digital news sources has created what he calls “news silos” — systems or communities where only one point of view circulates.

“Digital divide created a conversation divide as well,” Garrity said. “I think the reason that we’re seeing a decline (in trust) is there’s not as much communication as there has been previously.”

Garrity said his best tip for how industries and professionals can bridge the trust gap is to listen and be authentic.

“If an industry wants to know how they’re impacting their community, talk to the community in an authentic way,” Garrity said. “There’s a lot of fear of the unknown, and so sometimes, just by being present and sharing what’s happening inside the company, what your plans are for a particular project, it can defuse so many tensions.”

The 2025 Garrity Perception Survey will come out on Monday.