Ipsos Veracity Index 2023, published late in 2023, has found that only 9% of the British public trust politicians and only 10% trust Government Ministers. Both values are the lowest since the organisation began its annual poll in 1983.

Both groups are at the bottom of the professions the survey inquires about. Among their ranks are advertising executives (16%), journalists (21%) and estate agents (28%). On the contrary, the five most trusted professions are nurses (88%), airplane pilots (87%), librarians (86%), doctors (85%) and engineers (85%), whereby airplane pilots and librarians are newly listed professions in the survey this year.

Of note are the different levels of trust in politicians by demographic subgroups. Whereby people in age groups 18-24 and 35+ appear to trust politicians somewhere between 8-13%, only 2% of those in age group 25-34 agree. A scrutinization of various regions shows that England and Wales trust politicians between 9-11% to say the truth, with the exception of London at 3%. Scotland trusts politicians with only 8%.

Other findings of note include the sharp fall of trust in TV New Readers which, at 42%, is down by 16 points compared to 2022. This as well is the lowest level of trust in this profession in the history of the index. Another lowest level record is attributed to the police. Even though 56% say they trust the forces, this value is also at its lowest since the survey began in 1983.

Background

The telephone survey included a representative quota sample of 1,020 and 1,015 British adults aged 16+ contacted in two consecutive weeks in November 2023. The Ipsos Veracity Index has been conducted consistently since 1983 and is, thus, the longest running poll of its kind in Britain. Compare the 2023 numbers with those from 2022.