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Pharmacists Remain Among Most Trusted Professions
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Pharmacists have once more been ranked among the most honest and ethical professionals in the United States, according to the results of the latest Gallup poll on the topic.
Pharmacists have once more been ranked among the most honest and ethical professionals in the United States, according to the results of the latest Gallup poll on the topic.
Of the survey’s 1028 respondents, 67% rated the honesty and ethical standards of pharmacists as “high” or “very high.” This percentage of favorable responses was the second highest of the survey, with nurses (84%) taking the top spot for 15th year in a row.
Pharmacists performed similarly well in previous years, earning favorable scores from 65% of participants in 2014 and 68% of respondents in 2015.
“We commend community pharmacists across the country on their impressive showing in the latest Gallup survey of Americans’ views of honesty and ethical standards. People continue to hold pharmacists in very high regard,” B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA, CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association, said in a press release. “It is time for payers and policymakers to better utilize the accessibility, expertise and public trust in pharmacists.”
Other health professionals included in the survey were medical doctors (65%), dentists (59%), chiropractors (38%), and psychiatrists (38%). Members of Congress received the lowest score, with only 8% of survey participants giving them a favorable rating and 59% considering their ethical and honesty standards to be “low” or “very low.”
The full results of the survey, which was conducted via telephone from December 7-11, 2016, can be found in the following table:
Americans' Ratings of Honesty and Ethical Standards in Professions (December 2016)
Profession
High/Very High
Average
Low/Very Low
Nurses
84%
13%
3%
Pharmacists
67%
26%
8%
Medical Doctors
65%
29%
7%
Engineers
65%
29%
5%
Dentists
59%
34%
7%
Police Officers
58%
29%
13%
College Teachers
47%
32%
18%
Clergy
44%
39%
13%
Chiropractors
38%
45%
13%
Psychiatrists
38%
45%
12%
Bankers
24%
46%
30%
Journalists
23%
34%
41%
Lawyers
18%
45%
37%
State Governors
18%
45%
35%
Business Executives
17%
50%
32%
HMO Managers
12%
48%
31%
Senators
12%
37%
50%
Stockbrokers
12%
46%
39%
Advertising Practitioners
11%
46%
40%
Insurance Salespeople
11%
51%
38%
Car Salespeople
9%
45%
46%
Members of Congress
8%
31%
59%
Source: Gallup
