The 2016 Veracity Index, Ipsos MORI's annual index of which jobs and professionals are most trusted by the public finds that nurses are the most trusted profession in Britain, followed closely by doctors, while politicians once again bring up the rear. Public trust in politicians has slipped a considerable six percentage points since last year, and they are now trusted to tell the truth by just 15% of the British public.

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1Veracity Index 2016 | December 2016 | Version 1 |
December 2016
Ipsos MORI
Veracity Index 2016

2. 2Veracity Index 2016 | December 2016 | Version 1 |
Veracity Index 2016 – all professions overview
93%
91%
88%
81%
80%
71%
69%
68%
67%
65%
56%
52%
49%
48%
48%
46%
43%
43%
37%
33%
30%
24%
20%
15%
Nurses
Doctors
Teachers
Judges
Scientists
The Police
Clergy/priests
Hairdressers
Television news readers
The ordinary man/woman in the street
Civil Servants
Lawyers
Pollsters
Managers in the NHS
Economists
Charity chief executives
Trade union officials
Local councillors
Bankers
Business leaders
Estate agents
Journalists
Government Ministers
Politicians generally
“Now I will read you a list of different types of people. For each would you tell me if you generally trust them to tell the truth, or not?”
% trust to tell the truth
Base: 1,019 British adults aged 15+, fieldwork 14th October – 1st November 2016

3. 3Veracity Index 2016 | December 2016 | Version 1 |
The five most trusted professions, 2016
93%
91%
88%
81%
80%
Nurses
Doctors
Teachers
Judges
Scientists
% trust to tell the truth:
Base: 1,019 British adults aged 15+, fieldwork 14th October – 1st November 2016
2015 score:
-
89%
86%
80%
79%

4. 4Veracity Index 2016 | December 2016 | Version 1 |
The five least trusted professions, 2016
33%
30%
24%
20%
15%
Business leaders
Estate agents
Journalists
Government Ministers
Politicians generally
% trust to tell the truth:
Base: 1,019 British adults aged 15+, fieldwork 14th October – 1st November 2016
2015 score:
35%
25%
25%
22%
21%

5. 5Veracity Index 2016 | December 2016 | Version 1 |
-5 -9
-21
-27
-35
-47
-56
-67
-100
-50
0
50
100
87 83 79
65 65
44 43 42 39 36
17
8 7 3 2
0
-100
-50
0
50
100
Net trusted professions
Nurses DoctorsTeachers Judges Scientists Police Clergy/
priests
Hair-
dressers
TV News
Readers
Person
in the
street
Civil
Servants
Lawyers Pollsters Econo-
mists
NHS
managers
Charity
chief execs
Trade
Union
officials
Local
council
-llors Bankers
Business
leaders
Estate
Agents
Journ-
alists
Govt.
Ministers Politicians

6. 6Veracity Index 2016 | December 2016 | Version 1 |
Key movers in public trust over time
85
69
57
65
25
56
18
43
63
80
33
0
25
50
75
100
1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Clergy/Priests (-16 ppt) Ordinary Man/Woman in the street (+8 ppt) Civil Servants (+31 ppt)
Trade Union Officials (+25 ppt) Scientists (+17 ppt) Business leaders (+8 ppt)
Base: c. 1,000 British adults aged 15+ per year

7. 7Veracity Index 2016 | December 2016 | Version 1 |
Amongst the least-trusted professions, trust in politicians has dropped notably,
whilst trust in estate agents has risen
24
20
15
30
0
25
50
75
100
1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Journalists Government Ministers Politicians Generally Estate agents
% trust to tell the truth:
Base: c. 1,000 British adults aged 15+ per year

8. 8Veracity Index 2016 | December 2016 | Version 1 |
Distrust in pollsters has risen this year
53
49
34
42
0
25
50
75
100
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Trust to tell the truth
“…would you tell me if you generally trust them to tell the truth, or not?” - Pollsters
Base: c. 1,000 British adults aged 15+ per year
Do not trust to tell the truth

9. 9Veracity Index 2016 | December 2016 | Version 1 |
As has distrust in civil servants and business leaders
63
32
39
65 66
55
60
0
25
50
75
100
1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Civil Servants Business leaders
Base: c. 1,000 British adults aged 15+ per year
% do not trust to tell the truth:

10. 10Veracity Index 2016 | December 2016 | Version 1 |
All Veracity data, 1983 - 2016
0
25
50
75
100
1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Nurses* Doctor Teacher Judges Scientists
Clergy/Priests The police TV news reader Ordinary Man/Woman in the street Civil Servants
Pollsters Economists* Trade Union Officials Local Councillors Business Leaders
Managers in Local Gov Journalists Government Ministers Politicians Generally Managers in the NHS
Lawyers Hairdressers Builders Charity Chief Executives Estate agents
% trust to tell the truth:
*: This profession listed for the first time in 2016
Base: c. 1,000 British adults aged 15+ per year

11. 11Veracity Index 2016 | December 2016 | Version 1 |
Trust in the ordinary person in the street is higher amongst men than women
68%
62%
%
25%
50%
75%
100%
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Men Women
Base: c. 1,000 British adults aged 15+ per year
% trust to tell the truth:

12. 12Veracity Index 2016 | December 2016 | Version 1 |
And this is also the case for Journalists
28%
21%
%
25%
50%
75%
100%
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Men Women
Base: c. 1,000 British adults aged 15+ per year
% trust to tell the truth:

13. www.ipsos-mori.com/
2016 Veracity Index | December 2016 | Version 1 | 13
Gideon Skinner
Research Director, Ipsos MORI Public Affairs
Gideon.Skinner@ipsos.com
@GideonSkinner
Michael Clemence
Senior Research Executive
Michael.Clemence@ipsos.com
@mwclemence