Gallup Poll finds nursing is most honest, ethical profession

For the 19^th consecutive year, nursing has been ranked number one by the Gallup Poll as the most honest and ethical profession.

The latest results are based on a Dec. 1-17, 2020 Gallup Poll in which Americans were asked to rate the honesty and ethics of 15 different occupational groups as very high, high, average, low or very low. Gallup first conducted its Honesty and Ethics poll in 1976 and has updated it annually since 1990.

Nurses have topped Gallup's Honesty and Ethics list in all but one year since they were added in 1999. The exception is 2001, when firefighters were measured on a one-time basis shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and earned the highest score to date for any profession, 90%. Nurses fell one point shy of that mark this year.

Tidbits from this year’s poll:

• Nurses earn a record 89% very high/high score for their honesty and ethics this year, four percentage points greater than their prior high, last recorded in 2019.
• Medical doctors' rating has improved even more in the past year, rising 12 points to 77% and exceeding the previous high of 70% found in 2011 and 2012.
• Pharmacists' honesty and ethics rating is up seven points to 71%. While not their highest rating, it is the highest since 2012, when 75% rated them this positively.

“Dealing with the pandemic has put the health care profession in a unique, yet challenging position this past year,” said Oakland University School of Nursing Dean, Judy Didion. “The findings from this year’s poll are a wonderful compliment to the nursing profession and further validates that nurses make a positive impact on the care provided in health care systems."

Nurses make up the largest proportion of workers in the healthcare industry with more than 100,000 active registered nurses in Michigan alone. Whether they are at the bedside or in the boardroom, nurses continue to advocate for their patients and policy reform at local, state or national levels.

Learn more about Oakland University's School of Nursing opportunities.