The most trusted professions

For the poll, Gallup surveyed a national sample of 1,013 U.S. adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia between Dec. 1 and Dec. 20, 2023. Respondents were asked to rate the honesty and ethical standards of different professions.

Nurses were ranked as the most trusted profession in the United States, with 78% of respondents saying they had "high" or "very high" honesty and ethical standards.

Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the American Nurses Association, said nurses being rated as American's most trusted profession is "an incredible accolade for our nation's nurses."

"Given the considerable hardship and obstacles the nurses we advocate for are facing, including unsafe work environments, severe burnout, and barriers to practice to name a few, this recognition is a true testament to the positive influence of nurses on their patients and their undeniable impact on the health care system," she said. "It's a tremendous honor to receive this special validation from the very public these nurses serve. And it's equally important for nurses to hear this acclaim as it raises the morale of our nurses — it couldn't be more timely or appreciated. This is important."

In addition to nurses, two other medical professions — medical doctors (56%) and pharmacists (55%) — were included among the top 10.

However, respondents' ratings for all three professions have dropped since the start of the pandemic and are still below pre-pandemic levels. For nurses, this year's rating is the lowest it has been since 2004, while the current doctors' rating is the lowest it's been since 1997, and pharmacists' the lowest in over 40 years.

However, medical professionals remain more trusted than many other professions. The other highly trusted professions were veterinarians (65%), engineers (60%), and dentists (59%).

The remaining professions, including lawyers, bankers, and stockbrokers, largely saw "average" ratings on their honesty and ethics. Meanwhile, a handful of professions, including members of Congress, car salespeople, and advertising practitioners, received mostly "low" or "very low" ratings.

There were also a few partisan differences in how people viewed certain professions. While Republicans and Democrats both ranked nurses, medical doctors, and pharmacists highly on honesty and ethics, Democrats were more likely to rate each group as "high" or "very high."

Other professions that Democrats' and Republicans' opinions diverged on include college teachers, journalists, and psychiatrists.

(Brenan/Jones, Gallup, 1/22; American Nurses Association release, 1/22; Hollowell, Becker's Hospital Review, 1/22)

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