- Nurses topped Gallup's honesty and ethics ranking for the 21st straight year, with 79% rating them high or very high.
- The recognition landed while nurses were still navigating the staffing shortage and a wave of strikes.
- ANA leadership praised nurses while warning about the pressures still bearing down on the profession.
Seventy-nine percent of people rated nurses' honesty and ethics high or very high, 17 points clear of any other profession. Twenty-nine percent rated them very high, 12 points more than the next group, medical doctors. Doctors and pharmacists took second and third, at 62% and 58% rated highly, a sign that the public trusts its healthcare providers above most other fields.
"This recognition belongs to America's 4.4 million incredible nurses," said ANA President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy. "For more than two decades now, the nation has recognized the vital role you play in keeping our friends, families, and communities safe and healthy."
Trust Has Not Translated to Better Conditions
The honor arrived while nurses were still under pressure from the shortage. On January 9, 2023, nurses in New York City walked out over wages, benefits, and safe staffing ratios; the strike ended after three days.
Senior nurse writer and family nurse practitioner Joelle Jean argues the poll does not reflect how nurses are actually valued. "It took threats of a strike and a recent three-day strike in New York to get the attention of hospitals for a fair contract that includes safe nurse-to-patient ratios, fair wages, and health benefits," she says. "Nurses aren't valued in the healthcare system because they are considered an expense, not an asset."
Jean adds that recognition and understanding are not the same thing. "The public trusts us, but they still really don't know what nurses do, how difficult and task-oriented the job is, and how it's not okay to have us work short," she says. "An airline won't even take off if it is short-staffed. Working short as a nurse should be held to the same standard."
Mensik Kennedy paired her congratulations with a warning. "Though COVID-19 may have receded from the headlines, it continues to weigh on nurses in communities and care settings in every corner of the country," she said, pointing to a severe flu season, an RSV surge, and the threat of workplace violence. "In short, I am gravely concerned about our nation's nurses and the nursing profession."
What Nurses Want to See Change
Nurses have asked for the same things since before the pandemic: a safe environment for themselves and their patients, and the staffing to deliver good care. A March 2022 ANA report listed the staffing fixes nurses pointed to most:
- More travel nurses (62%)
- More nurses and support staff (52%)
- Higher wages, bonuses, and incentives (49%)
- Changed staffing models (18%)
- A larger float pool (18%)
- More LPNs, CNAs, and patient care technicians (16%)
- Breaks they can actually take (15%)
- Vacation days they can actually use (15%)
Other fixes cost nothing: listen to nurses, ask for their feedback, and prioritize retention. All of it, though, requires administrators and nurses to agree. "I am urging the public and private sector to work together with nurses to develop solutions to the numerous long-standing crises that have plagued nursing for too long," Mensik Kennedy said.
Jean puts the culture problem plainly. "When policies change, it lands on the nurses' shoulders to implement them. The hospital system is broken, and what needs to change is the culture. It is top down, do as I say. It needs to be less punitive, lateral, and collaborative, with nurses at the table making decisions."
Where the Streak Stands Now
The run has only grown since this story first ran. Gallup's December 2025 poll kept nurses at number one for the 25th consecutive year, with 75% of U.S. adults rating their honesty and ethics high or very high. That figure has eased from its 2020 pandemic peak, and ethics ratings across nearly every profession Gallup tracks now sit at or near record lows, which makes nursing holding the top spot, far ahead of the field, all the more striking.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long have nurses been the most trusted profession? As of Gallup's December 2025 poll, nurses have ranked first for honesty and ethics for 25 consecutive years. Gallup added nursing to the list in 1999, and nurses have held the top spot every year except 2001, when firefighters led after September 11.
What share of Americans rate nurses highly? In the December 2025 Gallup poll, 75% of U.S. adults rated nurses' honesty and ethics high or very high, well ahead of every other profession measured. The figure has come down from a 2020 pandemic high but still leads the field by a wide margin.
Who else ranks near the top? Grade-school teachers, military officers, pharmacists, and medical doctors typically round out the top tier, though all sit double digits below nurses. Ratings for most professions Gallup tracks are near historic lows.
Does topping the trust poll mean nurses are well treated? Not necessarily. Nurses and their advocates point out that public trust has not translated into safe staffing, fair pay, or protection from workplace violence. The 2023 New York City strike over wages and nurse-to-patient ratios is the kind of pressure that recognition alone does not fix.
What changes do nurses say would help most? Surveys point to more nursing and support staff, safe staffing ratios, higher wages and incentives, breaks and vacation they can actually take, and a less punitive, more collaborative culture with nurses included in decisions.