UK Businesses Urged to Prioritise Cybersecurity and Misinformation in 2026, Report Finds
The Vantage Point Report
New research finds that UK consumers are demanding business action on data breaches, disinformation, and supply chain risks.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, March 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- To safeguard their reputation in 2026, UK businesses must urgently prioritise cybersecurity, data privacy, and countering misinformation, according to The Vantage Point report released today by global consultancy Reputation Leaders.
Top UK Risks in 2026 from The Vantage Point
Cybersecurity is Paramount: A clear majority of UK consumers (59%) believe businesses should prioritise planning for cybersecurity or data privacy breaches, making it the top reputational risk to proactively manage in 2026.
Misinformation is a Major Threat: Nearly half (47%) of respondents want businesses to plan for the risks of misinformation, disinformation, or deepfakes, a risk amplified by the rapid advancement of AI.
Economic and Geopolitical Concerns: An economic recession (40%) and supply chain & geopolitical trade disruption (40%) are high on the public's list of concerns in the wake of a year defined by tariffs, wars, and economic uncertainty.
The Climate Change Divide: While climate change ranks lower overall (29%) as a priority, there is a significant generational gap. 37% of 18–24-year-olds want businesses to prioritise climate change, an understandable concern as it is they who will be most burdened by the effects of climate change over the long term.
"What British citizens are telling us is that the risks of technology accelerated by AI, from cybersecurity to deepfakes, are of high reputational importance," said Laurence Evans, CEO of Reputation Leaders. "As such, deep technology issues are not just operational. They are also reputational risks if not anticipated and managed.”
A Call to Action for UK Communications Leaders
The findings underscore a crucial call to action: UK businesses must strengthen crisis planning and response capabilities to protect their reputation. The report urges UK Communications Professionals to prepare:
1. Integrated Crisis Planning: Technical, leadership, and communications teams must collaborate closely to enable rapid, coordinated responses.
2. Clear Crisis Roles: Define the roles in the C-suite, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and External Affairs teams who are responsible for leading and communicating during a crisis.
3. Clear Crisis Response: Create an action plan that outlines who leads, who communicates, through which channels, and with what core messaging when a reputational issue arises.
Research Methodology
The UK findings are based on a national online survey conducted by Reputation Leaders in January 2026, using the YouGov omnibus, among 2,074 UK adults aged 18 or older. The data were weighted to match the UK’s demographics for age, gender, region, social class, and level of education. The margin of error is +/- 2.15% at the 95% confidence level.
About Reputation Leaders
Reputation Leaders is a research firm specialising in reputation tracking, thought leadership, and stakeholder research that drives strategic action.
For more information and to download the full report, visit:
https://www.reputationleaders.com/media/vantage-point-2026/
Laurence Evans
Reputation Leaders Ltd
+44 1342 314777
email us here
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