Nurses Hit a Record High Rating for Honesty and Ethics in Gallup Poll

In a time of national discord, there is one thing that Americans are coming together on: their high regard for nurses and other medical professionals.   

Americans have once again named nursing the most honest and ethical profession in an annual Gallup poll. According to Gallup, nurses earned a record 89% very high/high score for these attributes this year -- four percentage points higher than in 2019, and a record high for the profession. There was broad agreement on this rating across political party and different demographics, according to Gallup.  

Nursing has topped Gallup’s honesty and ethics list in all but one year since they were added in 1999. The poll includes 15 professions, including firefighters, school teachers, clergy, members of Congress and business executives.  

This year has thrown us all off course -- especially those fighting COVID-19 on the front lines. Medical workers including nurses, doctors and pharmacists, have braved exposure to the virus in order to provide lifesaving care to their patients. Doctors and pharmacists also saw an increased rating for honesty and ethics in the poll this year.  

With healthcare professionals at the forefront of this year’s global pandemic, it’s no wonder why nurses top the Gallup Poll list. In addition, 2020 was also named “The Year of the Nurse” by The American Nursing Association (ANA) and the World Health Organization.

Photo provided by: Alenka Hadziomerovic, BSN Student at the Atlanta Campus

By Kaitlyn Kapp