UNITED KINGDOM
The British public’s trust in its Public Service is at a record high, in contrast to an almost complete lack of trust in politicians.
The results, from Ipsos Mori’s 2019 Veracity Index found that Public Servants were now more trusted than Government Ministers, business leaders, and charity bosses.
Politicians were at the bottom of the table of 24 professions.
More than 1,000 adults across the United Kingdom took part in the poll, in which they were asked to state which people would tell them the truth.
Public Servants had a bigger rise in trustworthiness than any other profession since the annual survey began in 1983 – going from 25 per cent to 65 per cent.
Trust in politicians fell from 19 per cent to 14 per cent in the past year, replacing advertising executives as the country’s least trusted profession.
Nurses are in top place, trusted to tell the truth by 95 per cent of the public, followed by doctors and dentists. Teachers, engineers, professors, scientists, judges, members of the Armed Forces, and the police all ranked above Whitehall officials.
However, Public Servants were trusted to tell the truth more than TV news readers, pollsters, trade union officials, charity chief executives, bankers, and local councillors.
They also ranked above business leaders, estate agents and journalists.
A statement accompanying the Index said trust in professions was driven by demographic factors, especially education.
“Those with a degree-level qualification are more likely than average to say they trust a wide range of professions,” the statement said.
Some 73 per cent of graduates trusted Public Servants to be truthful, compared to 53 per cent of people without a degree.
Labour supporters were far more likely to have trust in officials than Conservative voters, at 73 per cent and 57 per cent respectively.
While 70 per cent of those who voted to remain in the European Union trusted Public Servants, only 53 Percent of people who voted to leave shared this view.
London, 30 November 2019
