Only 9% of Britons say they consider politicians to be truthful, the lowest since tracking began in 1983 and down three points from last year, according to an Ipsos poll out Thursday.
This year's score makes politicians the least trusted profession in Britain, the pollster said. Trust in politicians is even lower among Londoners and people aged 25-34, at 3% and 2%, respectively.
Similarly, only 10% of Britons trust government ministers to tell the truth, down six points from 2022, which marks a new all-time low for the profession. The ministers are followed in ascending order by advertising executives (16%), journalists (21%) and real estate agents (28%). All these professions have scored below the average of 51%, which is how many Britons would trust the average person on the street. The same proportion of the respondents trust lawyers and civil servants.
A total of 54% said they trust priests to tell the truth, while 56% put their trust in police officers and 74% in scientists, judges and members of the armed forces. The top five trusted professions this year are doctors and engineers (85% each), librarians (86%), airplane pilots (87%) and nurses (88%), according to the poll.
The survey was conducted via phone interviews in two waves: first among 1,020 British adults from November 8-14 and then among 1,015 Britons from November 15-21.