The About Perception Podcast

The Garrity Group Public Relations in Albuquerque, New Mexico presents insights about perceptions and insights of the public relations industry as well as information about what makes New Mexico tick.

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The About Perception Podcast

GPS: 2025 Survey Overview to the Economic Forum

July 11, 2025 • Tom Garrity • Season 2025 • Episode 2

This is a presentation providing insight to the full 2025 Garrity Perception Survey (GPS) The survey addresses New Mexico resident’s trust of 15 people/professions, favorability of 17 industries/institutions, access of news and information, role of government and corporations to do the right thing, level of stress being experienced by residents, and the role of personal faith.

The presentation is provided by Tom Garrity who was the keynote speaker to the Albuquerque Economic Forum on June 25, 2025

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GPS: 2025 Survey Overview to the Economic Forum

June 25, 2025

Good morning, and thank you very much, Meg. Thank you also to Emily and the Economic Forum team for providing this opportunity today to share a few insights from our perception survey. I'd also like to recognize some of our guests today, which include Peter Saint-Cyr, as well as Tripp Jennings, both journalists, as well the Gertie Group team of Michaela, Michelle, Amanda, and Taeya. So thank you all for being here today. When we started the firm in 1997, our main goal was to help small businesses to be heard and large organizations to be understood. And as a part of that, we wanted to make sure that we kind of put our money where our mouth is. And so we wanted be able to back that up. So we actually wanted to find a way. First we wanted find the industries where we wanted it to be in. And then we also wanted to really, you know, kind of find out how people access news and information. And so we thought that that information would really help us to compliment our four-step process of research, planning, execution, and evaluation because we all know that everybody is interested in results, but not everybody wants to pay for research. So we thought we would go ahead and take that first step of really identifying what that research looks like. And so, you know, the Garrity Perception Survey was born in 2011, and during that time we've had a chance to put together different surveys starting in 2011. It used to be rather consistent each year, and then we went ahead and made it every other year. You'll hear me refer to the 2020 Perception survey. And just kind of let, you know, kind of set the table on the 2020 survey because that's really kind of the benchmark. Post-COVID, is that survey was actually done in January of 2020. So when I reference those particular numbers, those numbers are, you know, all before the world changed as we knew it, not just here in New Mexico, but around the world. The 2025 Perception Survey was conducted February 3rd through 16th, included a statewide sample of 415 residents reflecting the United States Census. It has a 95% level of confidence, meaning that if you ask 95 New Mexicans, or 100 New Mexicans rather, what their thoughts are on any issue, 95 would respond the way that they are reflected, the results are reflected here today. As in previous years, our perception survey focuses on New Mexican favorability of 17 industries, 15 people and professions, and how residents access news and information. This year, we've re-approached some questions that we've asked in previous years, which address New Mexicans' faith, how stressed out we are, and if and how residents trust government or corporations to do the right thing. Now before we jump into the 2025 insights, I want to be able just to kind of share a little bit of information of how we use this particular data. We believe in using this research to identify advocates. The advocates are those who we think are going to be the best ones to tell our story. And we also use it to identify those who are on the fence. We stay away. From trying to convince the unfavorable or those who view a field as untrusted, we stay away from them because there isn't enough time or resources to really kind of change their minds on something. They've already decided they are unfavorable or untrusting about a particular thing, so we're not going to spend our time focusing on that. What we do focus on are things called sway opportunities, and we're going to focus on this a little bit more. And those are the residents who are in the middle ground. The questions on favorability and trust are on a five-point scale. Five being very favorable or very trusted. One being very unfavorable or untrusted. And so in the Middle, the threes and the don't-know-won't-says are those groups that we view as those who can be swayed one way or another. And then we also look at messaging and keeping industries and professions above that 50% mark. The reason that that's important and you'll see that red line when we get into the big graphs is that if you're above 50% favorability, you can go right in and talk about things that are important to your particular industry. Whereas if you are below that 50%, You usually have to provide one or two items in defense of your industry before moving forward with something positive about it So that gets us to New Mexico's trusted and favored. The reason that trust is important to us is it's the invisible glue that holds a productive society together. It fuels cooperation between people, organizations, and institutions. It creates conditions where communities can thrive. When individuals trust each other, they are more likely to collaborate, share ideas, and work towards common goals. And when residents have a favorable perception of institutions, they're more likely to follow laws, pay taxes, support public initiatives, and engage in civic life. In short, trust enables systems to function efficiently without the constant need for oversight, enforcement, or conflict resolution. And so when we don't have trust, it impacts our society. And so our goal is to share this information today. So that way we can all be better aware of which industries are favorable which prevent which professions are trusted and How we can help all of these organizations to be successful. So let's jump in on the industries and institutions Because I know that sometimes This graph is larger than life. The numbers can be a little bit of a challenge to get through. But the most favored industry and institution is the farming and ranch industry, as followed by small business, community colleges, national laboratories, the film industry, universities, local banks, and then the solar and wind industry. And all of those industries and institutions are on the other side, on the plus side of the 50% mark. On the other, the oil and gas industry, church and organized religion, commercial construction, public schools, the medical system, mining industry, major business corporations, national banks, and the courts and justice system. Now, in preparation for today's remarks, I had a chance to go through and pull out the original survey back in 2011. And what it showed was, was something quite interesting. It showed that at the time, there were a lot more industries that were viewed as favorable. In fact, if we just go back to 2020, residents viewed of the 17 industries, residents viewed 12 as favorable in 2020. 2025, the survey shows that that number has dropped to eight. But when we look at the farm and ranch industry and small business, and we'll talk about them a little bit more on the next slide, we have seen since 2011, their favorability increased by eight points for farm and range and up by one point for small business. For national laboratories, universities, local banks, they have all seen declines. Even though they're on the plus side of the favorability, that 50% mark, national labs favorability has declined 10% over the last 14 years, as well as universities and local banks. Church and organized religion has seen a drop of 23% since 2011. And the medical system, a decline of 15%. The courts and justice system has seen a 12% decline since 2011. So that gets us to, again, not focusing on the negatives but on the positives. These are the most favored businesses in New Mexico. These industries, as a result of being the most favorite, have an easier time attracting and retaining talent, building customer trust and loyalty, as well as facilitating And so, you know, as we kind of look at these and look at the levels of investment that the solar wind industry has made specifically, you're looking at, you know, multiple billions of dollars, the impact that national laboratories have, that community colleges have, and really kind of laying the foundation, the universities as well, as well as the film industry, which has, even though it's seen a bit of a decline since 2020, is still viewed as a very favored industry. What really kind of stands out to me about this particular group is the farming and ranch industry. The reason it jumps out to be is that it's the first time it's been in that number one position, surpassing small business. And it's also an issue of rural and urban. The rural tends to be overlooked in the media markets of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, Not so much in Las Cruces or in the eastern part of the state or the northwestern part of state So to have an industry out that's not represented in a major media market to be number one as far as most is favored is really, it says something for the industry. So let's talk about the sway. This is how I like to look at the data and look for opportunities. If we look at, you know, the favorable, for example, mining industry with 31% favorable, that's not too good. However, when you look at that 52% are in the middle, and or don't know won't say, you Thank you very much. If you get a 19 to 20 point swing for the mining industry, all of a sudden it becomes a favorable industry. National banks have a 29% favorability, but if you're able to say 21 to 22 points of the 42, it becomes favorable. Commercial construction has a 38% favor ability. Sway 12 points of a 44, and all of sudden you're in the favorable realm. And then local banks, which already have a favorable. You know presence with fifty five percent if you're even able to get them swing over to ten percent they're able just to double down on their particular position uh... As far as favorability in the state of New Mexico and amongst their target audiences So that's the type of stuff that we look at as far as areas for opportunity for growth. And these are the four industries and institutions that are positioned best for growth and swinging that particular pendulum, if you will. Now let's talk about the people and professions. Leading at the top of the list, we have family members or relatives are the most trusted at 68%, teachers 57%, scientists 53%, and doctors at 51%. All of those are above that 50% line. On the other side, we have police officers, accountants, the ordinary person, religious leaders, judges, business owners and executives, journalists, lawyers. State government officials, federal government officials and advertising executives. You know what? I'm going to revise the results. Actually, I had to chuckle, because in the very first year of the survey, we included public relations in there, and public relations did fare a little bit better than advertising, but the don't know, won't say's for both industries were like through the roof. So Dell, I know that you share the pain. Thank you, thank you. But, you know, New Mexico residents trust fewer people in professions than they did pre-pandemic. You know, of the 15 professions where trust is measured, in 2020, the survey showed that the public trusted six professions. Today, residents trust only four of the fifteen professions. And when trusted professions erode, whether in government, media, or business, so does social cohesion. Cynicism grows, polarization deepens, and misinformation thrives. Trusted professions act as stabilizers. Maintaining the foundation of trust in times of uncertainty. Now we see that, you know, while we see the negative side as far as for, you know, journalists, lawyers, state, federal, and marketing, that middle Is again that that sway area and that's where I like to focus a lot of our attention which we'll do here in just a moment but just to kind of take a look at police officers just before we move on to the most trusted in New Mexico. You know with 45% favorability or 46% trust rather you have 28% in the middle using that sway philosophy. That's one of the industries that we would identify with the professions that you could sway public trust of one way or another. And at 46%, it's right along that, right in that middle ground. So again, that's how we like to look at the data. We'll go into more of the sway opportunities for people and professions here in just a moment. But New Mexico's most trusted professions include family relatives, teachers, scientists, and doctors. There are some industries that are Actually, with respect to the family members or relatives, when we looked at the 2011 survey, we see that all of these industries that are trusted right now are a bit in peril for the future. Here's what I mean by that, is that while family members and relatives came in at 68% this year, in 2011, trust of family and relatives was at 85%. So we've seen a drop of 17%. Still, number one. Teachers, 57% in 2025, 2011, 67%. Scientists, 53% in 2020, 25, and 2011, 64%. And doctors, 51% in 20, 25. And in 2011, it was 68%, so a drop 17%. So we see that the number of people and professions that are trusted are dropping, and they're dropping very fast. So who knows what this will look like in two years from now. So the sway opportunities, the good news, the things that we like to be able to look at is first, where is there opportunity to change perception? Well, accountants, 45%. Okay, so accountants. I just have to say, first off, a great shout out to Sam Baca, who's, I understand, gonna be retiring on Monday. I hope you know, I think that's fantastic. You've been a great asset to me, and I appreciate all of your help over the years. Accountants, in general, have always been steady. I mean, it's kind of like accountants right? The level of trust over the year has really remained constant. And as we take a look at accountants, if we were to sway that particular industry from 43% to 45%, you only move the industry by eight points, and all of a sudden it becomes favorable. Lawyers, 27% favorable. You move 23 out of the 38 points in the middle, and, all of sudden, lawyers are seen as favorable. Religious leaders are only 13 points away from favorable category, and all of the sudden you can see what will happen there. Side note, in 2011, the favorability was 67%. So we've seen the distrust or the trust kind of evaporate of religious leaders. However, the good news is that a lot of folks just went to that middle ground. Judges only 13 points away from the favorable category, journalists are only 23 points from favorable and there are 32% who are on the fence. Now there's a great debate on how many of these sway opportunities can actually be moved. The purpose for sharing this is just to show where the people are in the middle and not necessarily saying that you can sway. You know all 37 percent or 34 percent of those who are on the fence about religious leaders into that favorable category That that would not be accurate, but it would be accurate to say that you could probably move it You know eight to ten points one way or another if there's a lot of if there are a lot in that middle ground Now there are some industries though that really are beyond repair, I mean probably should have chosen my words better there on that. But so this next slide is, I call it sway, no way. There is no opportunity for sway. And this should resonate very deeply with a lot of us because these are, well okay, so exception of advertising executive. Let's just kind of move on from that. But state government officials and federal government officials. State government officials, even if we were to sway all 30% it still would not get the industry past that 50% mark. The same with government officials, which even if you were to slay the whole group it still wouldn't get beyond that 50 percent mark. So it's just kind of interesting to see how these numbers can be looked at and still doesn't mean there's that big and It's a small thing, right? You know, we love our legislator, but we don't necessarily love the legislature. We really like our teacher, but were not necessarily favorable towards the public education system. So we connect with who we connect and then there's the larger scheme of how we view that particular industry. News and information sources, you know, if trust and favorability are two legs of the proverbial perception of school, then how residents access news and information is that third leg, why? Because even the best organizational narrative is useless. If it isn't effectively communicated and shared. Historically, New Mexico has been an outlier in how residents access news and information, relying on traditional forms of media, television, radio, and newspaper. Pre-pandemic, television was the most access for news and the information, followed by the internet news and radio and newspaper When we look at 2023, television still ruled the roost, but it slipped. Internet news sites also slipped, but it was kind of lurking in the background. Radio and newspaper held their own. Social media and internet blogs, as well as news sources, internet blogs as a news source were also remaining steady. However, until 2025, Residents flipped the script with the preference to get their news and information from digital media, online news, blogs, podcasts, social media. Accessing news and the information via digital sources increased in each of the three measured categories since 2020. Internet news sites increased six points to 64%. Social networking sites like Facebook X increased five points to 46%. Internet blogs increase by 4 points to 40 percent. Traditional media peaked in 2012 and 2013, with residents getting their news and information from newspapers 67% of the time, television 58% of time, and radio 65% of times. Fast forward to 2025, internet news sites are accessed for news and information 64% of the time followed by social media and internet blogs. New Mexico residents basically have far more options in terms of where they consume information and can choose the news outlets that both shape and conform to their ideological beliefs. This silo kind of approach to getting our news is a great concern to me from a professional and personal perspective as New Mexicans fall into that more of a national trend of getting our news from information silos. We asked about the importance of faith in our personal life in the first year of the survey. We wanted to know how important faith played in people's lives. In 2011, it was 74%, very important. 18%, fairly important. When we take a look at 2025, we need 64% view it as very important or 20% fairly important, So, you know, it's still, faith is still a very important part of our lives in New Mexico. You know, and we haven't really seen a drop in faith as we've seen a drop or a decline in the church and or religious leaders. It's still reassuring to me that 84% of New Mexicans still have faith as an important part of their life. Now, let's talk about stress. What's the overall stress that you've experienced over the past month? This was in February. 31% indicated they had a high level of stress. Now, if you look between the two tables, you know, the table next to you, you figure there are 10 people at your table, or between those two tables. Three of them are really stressed out. The stress demographics, as far as those who say that they're, Mike, you are not stressed out. I can tell you that right now. But you know what was interesting here was that the most stressed out part of the state is the eastern part of New Mexico. The most chill, north central. Residents who have lived in New Mexico for less than 20 years are still trying to figure it out and they are really stressed out As we get into the final category, let's talk about the role of government. In 2011, we discussed the personal view of government's role to solve the country's problems. At that point, Susanna Martinez was governor. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall were US senators. And our congressional representatives included Martin Heinrich, Ben Ray Lujan, and Harry Teague. When we asked this question in 2011, 54% said government was trying to do too many things to solve the country's problems, and 32% said that government should be trying to do more. Fast forward to 2025, New Mexico's governors, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Martin Heinrich, and Ben Rey Luján are US senators. Melanie Sandsberry, Teresa Ledger Fernandez, and Gabe Vasquez compose our congressional delegation, and 51% indicate that government is trying to do too many things, and 36%, which is an increase, say that government should do more. And then there's a small group that says that government's doing just about right, which I always kind of appreciate the middle ground. And then finally, as we kind of look at these two graphs side by side, who do we trust will do the right thing? Will it be government, or will it be corporations? Well, 10% of New Mexicans trust that government will do the right thing most of the time. Six percent of residents feel that corporations will do the right things most of time. And overall, 48% trust that the government will do the thing and 48% trusts that corporations will do right thing. How's that for 50-50? And this survey, by the way, has a 95% level of confidence. So. It's just kind of interesting, you know, as we look at our society today as far as how divided it may appear to be, sometimes it's interesting to see how those numbers are reflected in research as well. So New Mexico's trusted and favored. We're going to be releasing actually the full report on Monday, June 30th. Why Monday, July 30th? Well, that will mark our 28th year of being in the state of New Mexico and serving the residents and companies of New Mexico to help the small businesses to be heard and the large organizations to be understood. You're able to get the research by visiting garrityperceptionsurvey.com Or Garty. All the information will be there. We'll have a book with all this top line data. And if you want to know more about the firm, that is how you can do that. So with that said, I appreciate your time.