Trust is highly soughted in the world today. For a common man, everything from news, politicians, campaigns and media are under the scanner when it comes to trust. So, who are the most trusted professions in the UK? The answers to this may be revealed in a survey done by Ipsos.
Intriguingly, this survey has been done every year since 1983 to reveal the most trusted profession. The results for 2018 are out and Nurses remain the most trusted profession in the UK. As many as 96% trust them to tell the truth, Doctors are a close second with 92% & Teachers round off the third spot in the survey.
Which is the least trusted profession among the Britons? No, surprisingly it’s not the politicians, but advertising executives with only 16% trusting them. The advertising professionals have their work cut out for them.
Politicians are among the least trusted as you would expect. They are second in the least trusted professions with a meagre 19% people believing them. Government ministers are the third least trusted profession behind the politicians.
Journalists and Estate agents also rank among the least trusted professions with the fourth and fifth ranks respectively. The trust deficit among these professions is quite high.
Engineers are also high on people’s list of professions they trust. With as many as 87% revealing that they trust engineers to tell the truth. They rank as the fourth most trusted profession. The professors rank next to the engineers with 86% people trusting them as the fifth most trusted profession.
The survey also revealed that people’s belief system is also shaped by their age & other socio-demographic factors. However, people trust 14 of the professions majority of the time compared to the 8 they distrust most of the time.
Another fascinating revelation is that overtime people’s trust levels in priests are declining. In 1983, as many as 85% of the people trusted in priests, but this year, the number has decreased to 62%. Last year 69% people believed in priests.
With all the fake news and stories around the media, it is quite apparent that people’s trust is declining. However, still over 62% trust in the Television news readers, last year it was 67%.
Charity chiefs, Bankers, Business leaders & Local councillors are also among the professions with less than 50% believing them. The Armed Forces and Police both are high on people’s trusted allies with 78% & 76% approving them. The Police Force has made a steady climb in trust ratings with barely 60% in 2009.
The study also revealed that young people are mostly trusting. The generating Z and millennials trust most professions compared to older groups. On average the trust in most professions is higher compared to the distrust.
A world where trust is high and people believe in each other is always a welcome sign. With the shared economy platforms and the digital world increasingly connecting distant people across the world, a high level of trust can break down barriers and make the world a more united place.
You may share your most trusted professions in the comments below!
