Social media groups Meta and X have been ranked by consumers as the least reputable among 100 top organisations in Ireland, with the credit union movement named as the most reputable for the third consecutive year.
The annual study by the Reputations Agency is based on the perceptions of over 5,000 members of the public. It measures levels of trust, respect, admiration and esteem the public has for 100 of the largest organisations in Ireland.
The credit union movement topped the ranking with a score of 82.4 out of 100, and it was one of just two organisations to achieve a score in the “excellent” tier this year. Credit unions were perceived to be the most down to earth, fair, flexible, genuine, sincere and straightforward organisation of the 100 studied.
Ranked in second place, An Post also received an “excellent” score of 80.8. The State-owned postal and financial services company was recognised for “bringing its purpose to life in acting for the common good”.
The report also said the group improved the quality of life across every community in Ireland, and noted its “transformation towards a sustainable business, successfully delivering in a new world of ecommerce and financial services”.
Ranked in third place Boots Ireland received a “strong” score of 79.5. The company ranked second in “meeting customers’ needs”, fifth in “demonstrates concern for the health and wellbeing of its employees” and fifth in “offers high quality products and services”.
The average reputation score across 100 organisations improved by 1.3 points this year to a “moderate” score of 68.7.
An Bord Pleanála was the most improved organisation, moving up 11.7 points to a “weak” score of 53.8 in 94th place due to its “successful efforts to expedite the approvals process and the hiring of additional staff”.
LinkedIn, with a 30th place ranking and score of 72.8, is substantially ahead of other social media organisations such as Facebook parent Meta, which was ranked bottom of the list with a score of 44.1, and X (formerly Twitter) which was ranked in 99th place with a score of 44.9.
The rest of the bottom five was made up of RTÉ, the FAI and Uisce Éireann. Other companies to achieve a “weak” score included telco Eir, budget airline Ryanair, and Sky Ireland.
The Olympic Federation of Ireland moved up by 10 points to a “strong” score of 77.2 in 34th position, “benefiting from the showcase of the Paris Olympics and their success in nurturing strong Irish athletic talent”, the report said.
The Irish Times was the highest ranked media company, climbing two places to 51st, among the “average” tier with a score of 69.8.
Niamh Boyle, chief executive of the Reputations Agency, said Storm Éowyn had shown that reputation is resilient and protects against headwinds.
“Organisations in the eye of the storm such as ESB, An Post, Coillte and Vodafone improved their reputation scores through the efforts they made to protect customers and communities and to communicate with the public,” she said.
“The interconnectedness of electricity, water and telecommunications taught us the importance of working together to help the most vulnerable in communities. However, communicating what steps are being taken next to ensure that our critical infrastructure becomes more resistant to these exceptional weather conditions will be just as important.”
