A new global survey conducted by Ipsos reveals a stark contrast in public trust across various professions. The Ipsos Global Trustworthiness Index 2026, which polled 23,537 online adults in 31 countries, highlights doctors, scientists, and teachers as the most respected figures, while politicians and social media influencers consistently rank at the bottom.
Doctors, Scientists, and Teachers Lead the Way
Medical professionals earned the highest confidence, with doctors securing a net trust score of +43 percentage points. Scientists followed closely at +42, and teachers rounded out the top three with +37. These three professions collectively appeared among the top three in 27 of the 31 nations surveyed, underscoring a widespread global consensus on their integrity and reliability.
Other professions that garnered positive trust scores include:
- Armed forces: +16
- Personal trainers: +10
- Tech entrepreneurs: +6
- Judges: +5
- Police: +5
Lawyers registered a neutral score of 0, indicating an equal split between those who trust and distrust the profession.
Politicians and Influencers Face Deep Distrust
At the opposite end of the spectrum, politicians were rated as the least trustworthy profession, scoring a net trust of -48 percentage points. Social media influencers were not far behind, with a score of -44. Government ministers also faced significant skepticism at -37. Only 13% of respondents considered politicians trustworthy, compared to 61% who found them untrustworthy.
The bottom five professions in terms of trust were:
- Politicians: -48
- Social media influencers: -44
- Government ministers: -37
- Advertising executives: -26
- Clergy/priests: -11
Journalists and bankers both recorded a net trust score of -10, while business leaders scored -8.
Understanding Net Trust Scores
The Ipsos index calculates "net trust" by subtracting the percentage of respondents who consider a profession untrustworthy from those who find it trustworthy. A positive score signifies that trust outweighs distrust, whereas a negative score indicates a higher level of distrust. These figures represent an equal-weight average across all 31 participating countries.
Nuances in Public Perception
The survey also highlighted that public trust isn't uniform within broader institutions. For example, while government ministers scored -37, general government officials and civil servants received a less negative score of -9, illustrating a 28-percentage-point difference. Similarly, media roles varied: TV news anchors scored -3, journalists -10, and social media influencers a much lower -44, showcasing the diverse perceptions within the information ecosystem.