Nurses have surpassed all other professions every year but one since Gallup first asked about them in 1999. In 2001, Gallup included firefighters on the list after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and 90% of the public rated their honesty and ethical standards as “high” or “very high.”
Overall, a majority of Americans in the Dec. 4-11 poll rated six professions as “high” or “very high” for honesty and ethical standards. In addition to nurses, that list includes military officers, grade school teachers, medical doctors, police officers and pharmacists. The honesty rating of pharmacists, although still high on an absolute basis, dropped five points since last year and is at its lowest point since 1994, possibly reflecting the current nationwide opioid crisis.
