Americans trust nurses even more so than doctors. That’s according to Gallup’s 2023 Honesty and Ethics poll, which ranked 23 major professions by the level of trust U.S. adults place in them. According to a press release from Gallup, nurses hold the top spot as the most trusted profession, with 78 percent of Americans who participated saying that they follow “very high” or “high” standards for honesty and ethics.
This is the 22nd consecutive year that nurses have been ranked as the most trustworthy. Overall, nurses’ trust ranking has dipped by 7 percentage points since 2019 but is still higher than dentists’ (59 percent trust rating in 2023) and medical doctors’ (56 percent trust ranking). Lower in the healthcare trust rankings were pharmacists at 55 percent, psychiatrists at 36 percent, and chiropractors at 33 percent.
The poll found that pharmacists saw a record-low trust ranking this year. College graduates reported higher levels of trust for most of the professions. In healthcare, the most significant disparities were for dentists (70 percent among college graduates and 53 percent for those who did not graduate), psychiatrists (47 percent versus 31 percent), pharmacists (64 percent versus 50 percent) and medical doctors (64 percent versus 52 percent).
Gallup has been conducting this poll since 1976, with annual updates starting in 1990, the release stated. For this most recent ranking, researchers polled about 800 U.S. adults between Dec. 1 and Dec. 20, 2023. Annette Wysocki, Ph.D., dean of the University at Buffalo School of Nursing, who was not involved in the poll, noted that nurses play a “crucial role” as the health care providers who spend the most time with patients. She told Fox News Digital, “In moments of vulnerability, patients disclose details to nurses that they’ve never shared with any other health care provider and trust that nurses will advocate for them.”
She continued, “With the highest level of interaction among all health care professionals involved in a patient’s care, nurses become the patient’s voice and adeptly navigate health care systems to ensure the best outcomes for them. Thus, research demonstrates that baccalaureate-prepared nurses lower the odds of hospital mortality by 25 percent.” Regina Foley, chief nurse executive at Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, also provided an external reaction to Gallup’s findings.
She told Fox News Digital, “Nurses are at the forefront of patient care, which allows for deep and meaningful connections with patients. They not only provide extraordinary clinical care, but nurses also act as advocates, intermediaries and counselors. With clear competence and remarkable compassion, our nurses are there for our patients in their darkest, most challenging hours.”
Foley added, “Given the crucial role they play in a patient’s care, well-being, education and recovery, it is no surprise that nursing has been consistently recognized as the most trusted profession.”