Doctors once again the most trusted profession
Doctors have been named the profession most trusted by the general public for the 25th year running, according to the latest Ipsos survey commissioned by the Royal College of Physicians. The annual poll, conducted 10 years after the Shipman case, indicates that over nine in ten adults in Britain believe doctors can be trusted to tell the truth, coming ahead of - for example, teachers, professors and judges.
More than 2,000 adults were asked by Ipsos to say whether they generally trusted 16 different types of people to tell the truth or not. More than ninety per cent of the public (92%) said they trusted doctors to tell the truth when the survey was conducted in late 2008. Doctors were closely followed by teachers (87%). The next most trusted were: professors (79%), judges (78%) and clergymen/priests (74%), completing the top five.
At the other end of the scale, only about one in four adults says they trust government ministers to tell the truth (24%), and only one in five trusts politicians in general (21%). Journalists move up a non-significant percentage point from 2007, but remain among the lowest ranked, and this year come last with just 19% trusting them to tell the truth.
Sir Robert Worcester, Founder of Ipsos, said: "It is a media myth that people are losing trust generally, and specifically that they are losing trust in doctors. In 1983, 82 per cent said they trusted doctors to tell the truth; now this is up ten points, to 92 per cent. "The stability of these figures across the board is most revealing about the trust people have in the various occupations. Over the past 15 years, on average, the overall level of trust has not varied from 54 per cent, plus or minus three percentage points. "In the 25 years that MORI has measured the 'veracity' of these types of people most have remained stable throughout, only doctors (up ten points), teachers (up eight points), civil servants (up 23 points), trade union officials (up 27 points) and Government Ministers (up 8 points) going up by more than five points. The only group down by more than five points is the clergy (down 11)."
- Download the full Ipsos Veracity Index for 2008 which provides the full table of most trusted professions, or view the trend table online here.
- The full press release and technical detail, final report and computer tables are available here.
Press coverage
- Doctors are the most trustworthy and journalists the least, poll finds - Daily Telegraph
- Doctors still most trusted profession - Pulse
