Ad executives remain among the least trusted professions – Ipsos poll
Advertising executives are among the professions that stand out as the least likely to be considered trustworthy globally, while doctors have become the world’s most trusted profession, according to a new survey by market research company Ipsos.
Even though advertising is no longer the least trusted profession – as it was back in 2019 – research findings indicate that the industry still has a trust issue that needs to work on.
The Ipsos’ Global Trustworthiness Index has reported the level of trust afforded to many types of professionals since 2018, providing comparisons between the pre-pandemic world and where we are today.
Across 28 markets around the world, a Global Country Average of 64% rate doctors as trustworthy, followed by scientists at 61% and teachers at 55%. On foot of the trust table, only 10% on average believe politicians are trustworthy, 14% say the same about government ministers, and 15% advertising executives.
Advertising executives and politicians at the bottom of trustworthiness
Globally, three professions stand out as the least likely to be considered trustworthy: government ministers, advertising executives and politicians. This year the Global Country Average has 14% scoring government ministers and 15% advertising executives one or two out of five for trustworthiness and just 10% doing the same for politicians.
While these scores are similar to previous years, the level of distrust in these professions has fallen somewhat. Between 2019 and 2021 the proportion who see politicians as untrustworthy across 22 countries has fallen four points from 66% to 62%, while distrust of government ministers has dropped by five percentage points (from 58% to 53%).
Advertising executives have also seen a shift; in 2019 nearly half considered them untrustworthy (45%) but now that figure stands at four in ten (39%).
Belgium leads the way in not trusting advertising executives, with 54% of respondents rating them as untrustworthy, followed by Great Britain (51%), Australia (50%) and France (48%). On the other hand, the country that trusts them most is Saudi Arabia (34%).
Doctors become the world’s most trusted profession
One notable impact during the pandemic has been a boost to the standing of doctors, moving them above scientists who were the top profession in previous waves.
On average, almost two-thirds of those in 22 countries which have been studied over the three waves rate them as trustworthy (64%), an increase of seven percentage points since 2019 and nine points ahead of their score in September 2018. By contrast, the proportion saying the same about scientists has stayed at about six in ten across all three years (61% in 2021).
Great Britain leads the world in trusting doctors with 72% rating them as trustworthy, a proportion which has risen slightly since 2018 (67%). Doctors are similarly highly trusted by Dutch people (71%) and Canadians (70%).
Ipsos’ survey was conducted in 28 countries around the world, via the Ipsos Online Panel system in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the US.
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