Doctors, teachers, and members of the armed forces are the most trusted professionals in India, while politicians, government ministers, and priests are at the bottom of the trust scale, according to a new survey by Ipsos, a global market research and analytics firm.
Conducted across 32 countries, the Ipsos Trustworthiness Index 2024 combined face-to-face and online interviews. Among 23,530 adults surveyed worldwide, 2,200 participants were from India.
Urban Indians ranked doctors (57 per cent), armed forces personnel (56 per cent), and teachers (56 per cent) as the most trustworthy professions. These frontline public service roles were instrumental in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. They continue to earn admiration for their dedication and ethical standards.
Other trusted professions include scientists (54 per cent), judges (52 per cent), and bankers (50 per cent), followed by ordinary men and women (49 per cent) and the police (47 per cent).
On a global scale, doctors (58 per cent), scientists (56 per cent), and teachers (54 per cent) also emerged as the most trusted professions.
In India, politicians (31 per cent), government ministers (28 per cent), and clergy/priests (27 per cent) were perceived as the least trustworthy. Scandals involving corruption and ethical lapses have significantly dented their credibility. Other professions on the distrust list included the police (28%), advertising executives (25 per cent), and TV news anchors (25 per cent), reflecting a widespread scepticism toward authority figures and communicators.
Globally, distrust in politicians was even more pronounced, with Colombia (74 per cent), Chile (73 per cent), and Argentina (73 per cent) reporting the highest levels of distrust. Social media influencers (56 per cent) and government ministers (50 per cent) also ranked low globally.