Gallup Polling: Most unethical professions?

I think Nurse Ratched has been unfairly maligned. I also find her quite alluring. I don't understand why some people out there mistrust women in her profession? Oops..."people", I meant "people".

1. Ethics Rating of U.S. Professions Hits Record Low

Multiple Line Chart: Ethics ratings among American professions (1976-2025).

The Data: Fewer Americans now rate the honesty and ethical standards of many major professions as “very high” or “high.” In Gallup's latest reading, seven professions have reached record-low points or tied their previous lows, including business executives, pharmacists and clergy members.

The Trend: Americans' average positive rating of 11 professions that have been tracked consistently since 1999 dropped to a new low of 29% in 2025. The average for these professions — including advertising practitioners, bankers, business executives, car salespeople, clergy, lawyers, medical doctors, members of Congress, nurses, pharmacists and police officers — held near 40% for much of the 2000s and early 2010s.

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2. Nurses Top Ethics Ratings Again

Bar Chart: Americans' honesty and ethics ratings of top five professions.

The Data: Seventy-five percent of U.S. adults rate nurses' honesty and ethical standards as “very high” or “high,” the highest ethics rating for any profession in 2025.

Highest Ethics: Nurses have led Gallup's annual ethics rankings every year since they were added to the list in 1999 — except in 2001, when firefighters (who were included only in that year) were rated after 9/11. In 2025, military veterans (67%), medical doctors (57%) and pharmacists (53%) joined nurses in earning majority-level high ratings, with high school teachers (50%) rounding out the top five.

3. Occupational Hazard

Bar Chart: Americans' honesty and ethics ratings of lowest five professions.

The Data: Just 5% of Americans rate telemarketers' honesty and ethical standards as “very high” or “high,” the lowest of 21 professions measured in 2025. Members of Congress are rated nearly as poorly, at 7%, with 71% viewing their ethics as “very low” or “low” — one of only two professions with majority-negative ratings.

Lowest Ethics: Other poorly rated professions include car salespeople (7% very high/high ethics), stockbrokers (9%), and business executives and advertising practitioners (both 10%).

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4. Managers Are Managing More People

Line Chart: Average team size in the U.S. working population.

The Data: U.S. managers now oversee an average of 12.1 direct reports, up from 10.5 in 2022.

More Context: Gallup analysis finds that the ideal team size depends on the manager's level of individual contributor duties, their innate talent for the role and their ability to give meaningful feedback.

5. MLK Remembered Heroically

Line Chart: Views about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Data: Gallup's most recent measure of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., taken in 2011, found 94% of Americans rating him favorably, including 69% giving him the highest ratings (+4 or +5) on a +5 to -5 scale.

Historical Contrast: In surveys from the 1960s, King's public image was far more polarizing. In 1966, 33% viewed him favorably, while 63% viewed him unfavorably. This was his most negative rating in Gallup trends, likely influenced by his opposition to the Vietnam War and changes at that time in the Civil Rights Movement, as unrest over lack of progress intensified.