Nurses named most trusted profession for 22nd year in a row

Editor's Note: 

An annual Gallup poll continues to rank nursing as the most trusted profession in the United States. However, the number of US adults who believe nurses are honest and highly ethical has declined more than 10 percent from its 2020 peak.

Released January 22, Gallup’s 2023 Honesty and Ethics poll revealed that trust in doctors also has declined, with that profession dropping from second in 2022 to fifth in the most recent data. Both changes are in keeping with declines in all professions across the US. However, a January 24 article in MedPage Today indicates that the drop in trust for nurses—to the lowest levels since 2004—also could be due to other, more specific issues, such as a 2023 scandal involving fraudulent nurse credentials.

For medical professionals in general, declines in trust could be related to the waning of a boost in positive images of the field during the pandemic, the article notes. Other highlights include what the data reveal about how political affiliation, education level, and other demographic characteristics affect public perception of nurses.