Healthcare is changing rapidly. New technologies, digital services and innovative models of care offer opportunities to improve outcomes, expand access and support overstretched health systems. Yet their success depends on more than technological capability alone. It depends on trust. Based on a global survey of 12,500 people across 17 countries, new research from DNV explores how people build confidence in healthcare, innovation and the organizations shaping the future of health.

Why this report, why now

Trust is increasingly becoming a prerequisite for innovation in healthcare. While organizations often segment audiences by age, income, geography or other demographic factors, DNV‘s research suggests that these characteristics provide only part of the picture. 

DNV identified four distinct trust mindsets: Trusting Optimists, Human Connectors, Evidence Evaluators and Pragmatic Realists. Together, these mindsets reveal what shapes confidence in healthcare services, medical technologies and new models of care. 

The report examines how people view innovation, what they expect from healthcare organizations, and why individuals with similar demographic profiles can respond very differently to the same technology or service. It also explores the growing importance of human connection, evidence, accountability and tangible outcomes in building trust. 

The report provides practical insight into how public expectations are evolving and what this means for the future of health innovation. 

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The research identifies four distinct trust mindsets that shape attitudes towards healthcare innovation: Trusting Optimists, Human Connectors, Evidence Evaluators and Pragmatic Realists. 

  • Pragmatic Realists are the largest group. The largest mindset is focused less on how innovative something is and more on whether it improves access, affordability and healthcare outcomes.
  • Human connection remains a priority. Concern about losing the human touch in healthcare extends across multiple mindsets, even among people who are positive about technology and innovation.
  • Trusting Optimists often act as early adopters and advocates for change. However, their views are not representative of everyone. Their confidence in institutions, healthcare services and innovation sets them apart from many of the other mindsets identified in this research.
  • Evidence Evaluators are more cautious in the trust they place in healthcare organizations, services and innovation. They are not opposed to innovation but expect clear evidence that new technologies, services and approaches are safe, effective and deliver meaningful benefits.

Trust takes different forms 

The findings show that attitudes towards healthcare innovation are shaped by experience and confidence in healthcare systems, rather than simply by age or demographic characteristics. While some people place their trust in institutions and technological progress, others are guided by relationships, evidence and accountability, or tangible improvements to everyday healthcare experiences.

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