Satisfaction with UK Public Interest Entity (PIE) audits remains “very high”, according to the 2026 Audit Trust Index published by the Centre for Public Interest Audit (CPIA).
The survey of finance directors, audit committee chairs and UK equity investors revealed a 96% satisfaction rate with audit quality, broadly matching last year’s near-100% result and remaining above the 81% recorded in 2024.
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Confidence in core audit functions was high: 91% of respondents were satisfied with assurance that financial statements are true and fair; 86% were satisfied with corporate insights gained; and 80% were satisfied with value for money.
Demand is also rising for a broader remit, with 98% of respondents wanting independent auditor assurance on corporate reporting areas outside statutory financial statements.
Perspectives on AI were split by task. While overall satisfaction with businesses deploying technology fell from 87% in 2025 to 79%, automated systems were favoured for administrative work.
Two-thirds (67%) expressed higher confidence in AI tools to review large volumes of data or contracts, against 14% who preferred auditors.
Conversely, respondents maintained a clear preference for human professionals on judgement matters.
Risk perceptions have also shifted. Concerns over AI ‘hallucinations’ fell to 34%, down from 45% in 2025.
The leading anxiety, cited by 46% of participants, is now that over-reliance on automated tools will dilute auditors’ professional scepticism.
CPIA executive director Dean Beale said: “This is the third year in a row the Audit Trust Index has shown overall stakeholder satisfaction with audit to be at a very high level. Stakeholders are happy with the service auditors are providing.
“A key message from this year’s Index is that many stakeholders want more from their auditors. They value their insights, judgement and assurance skills, and want these to be applied in more places across the corporate reporting landscape.
“The Index tells us that audit committee chairs and finance directors want auditor assurance over controls reporting, or on regulatory disclosures. Investors want auditor assurance across multiple parts of the corporate report, particularly any sustainability disclosures, key performance indicators and leadership statements.”
