Trust in journalism on the increase in Britain

The number of Britons who say they trust journalists has increased over the last year, according to the latest Ipsos Veracity Index.

The 25th edition of the long-running poll measuring trust in professions in Britain reveals trust in journalism has nearly doubled since 2000 – although the profession remains among the five least trusted professions.

Twenty-nine percent of the public now trust journalists, a record high in the nearly 40-year history of the poll. Trust in TV News Readers has risen by six points, with 58% saying they trust anchors to tell them the truth, up from 52% in 2021.

According to the poll, the five least-trusted professions are politicians, advertising executives, government ministers, estate agents and journalists. Nurses and doctors remain among the most trusted professions, but their scores have fallen somewhat.

“This year we have seen public trust drop gently across a wide range of professions,” says Mike Clemence, a researcher at Ipsos Trends & Foresight. “The biggest drop is in trust in politicians, which has fallen to levels last seen during the 2009 expenses crisis.

“However, we have also seen small but noticeable falls for high-trust professions including doctors, nurses, teachers, and curators, as well as trust in the average person in the street. This makes the professions where we have seen an increase in trust this year – TV newsreaders, trade union officials, and engineers – all the more noteworthy.”

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