Trust among Americans in the integrity and ethical standards of pastors is on the decline, though it still surpasses trust in many other professions like Congress and telemarketers.
A recent Gallup investigation reveals that only 27 percent of U.S. adults view the integrity and ethics of clergy as high or very high. This contrasts sharply with 48 percent who consider it average, and 18 percent who perceive it as low or very low.
Over the last decade, public trust in pastors has fallen significantly. Back in 2015, 45 percent rated clergy’s integrity and ethics positively, but that dropped to 37 percent in 2018 and further to 32 percent in 2023.
Nursing emerges as the most trusted profession, with 75 percent of Americans rating nurses highly or very highly. They are followed by veterans at 67 percent, physicians at 57 percent, and pharmacists at 53 percent. High school teachers also meet a substantial standard, with 50 percent rating them positively.
Clergy currently ranks ninth out of 21 professions in terms of trustworthiness.
Megan Brennan from Gallup noted that since being included in the list in 1999, nursing has consistently outperformed other occupations except for one instance in 2001, following the September 11 attacks when firefighters received recognition.
Prior to 1999, pharmacists and clergy usually enjoyed the highest ratings, but this began to shift in the early 2000s amidst widespread reports of sexual abuse scandals within the Catholic Church, which contributed to distrust.
It’s worth mentioning that this decline isn’t isolated to clergy. Trust among pharmacists, high school teachers, and police officers has also plummeted, hitting record lows in the latest poll. According to Gallup’s long-term evaluation, the average positive perception of 11 key professions has now dipped to an all-time low of 29 percent—down from nearly 40 percent in the early 2000s and around 35 percent for most of the 2010s.
In the survey, members of Congress (7%) and telemarketers (5%) ranked at the very bottom.
The survey was conducted in December.
