By Desire Uzochukwu
Medical doctors have emerged as the world’s most trusted professional group, ahead of scientists and teachers, in a global survey that places politicians and social media influencers among the least trusted.
The 2026 Ipsos Global Trustworthiness Index, conducted by international market research and public opinion polling company, Ipsos, found that 58 per cent of respondents expressed trust in doctors, compared with 56 per cent for scientists and 54 per cent for teachers.
The survey covered 23,530 online adults under the age of 75 across 32 countries.
The findings underscore the strong position of healthcare professionals in the survey’s trust rankings, with doctors recording the highest score among the professions assessed.
Scientists came second at 56 per cent, followed by teachers at 54 per cent. Restaurant serving staff ranked fourth at 44 per cent, while the armed forces recorded 43 per cent.
Police officers, judges and ordinary men and women each received 38 per cent, while lawyers scored 31 per cent.
Television news anchors recorded 30 per cent. Pollsters and clergy or priests each scored 29 per cent, followed by taxi drivers and civil servants at 28 per cent.
Journalists and bankers each recorded 27 per cent, while business leaders received 26 per cent.
Government ministers scored 20 per cent, advertising executives 19 per cent, while social media influencers and politicians recorded 15 per cent each.
The results show a clear gap between trust in medical and scientific professionals and trust in political figures and social media influencers.
Doctors’ leading position is particularly significant for healthcare communication, where public confidence in medical professionals is important to discussions about health information, prevention and treatment. However, the survey figures alone do not establish why respondents trust particular professions.
The percentages represent respondents who expressed trust in each group, rather than those choosing one profession as their single most trusted occupation. The results also reflect the online adults surveyed across 32 countries and should not be assumed to represent every country equally.
