High earners are more likely to trust influencers, buy from them, and want their jobs

Getty Images; Tyler Le/BI High earners trust influencers and are more likely to buy from them, new research finds.

61% of high earners trusted creator recommendations, versus about half of lower earners.

Economic jitters are changing how influencers pitch, though.

High earners love influencers and are more likely to trust the products they recommend.

That's the core takeaway of new research conducted exclusively for Business Insider by Morning Consult.

Those earning over $100,000 a year were more likely to trust influencers, be politically swayed by them, and want to become influencers themselves, according to a survey of about 2,000 US adults in September.

That's compared to those earning $50,000 to $100,000, and less than $50,000.

Amanda Acevedo, director of talent at G&B Digital Management , pointed to a simple dynamic: Influencers feel more relatable to those with disposable income.

"The general population online knows creators make good money for themselves," Acevedo said.

"I think it's hard if you don't see yourself in them, or you don't feel like they're having the same life experience." Relatability is core to trust in the creator economy .

"When you are making more money, you don't view them as out of touch because you can relate to it a bit more — you have more spending power," said Natalie Barbu, founder of Rella and a former lifestyle influencer.

In the Morning Consult survey, 61% of high earners trusted influencer product recommendations , compared with about half of those in lower-income brackets.

They were also more likely than their lower-income peers to say they trusted influencers more now than they did a few years ago.

It's easy to envy the glamorous influencer lifestyle.