Nurses ranked most ethical and honest profession for 23rd straight year

The nation's largest union of registered nurses, National Nurses United (NNU), today celebrated nurses being named the most honest and ethical profession for the 23rd consecutive year in annual Gallup polling.

"Nurses are incredibly honored that the sacred bond of trust we have with our patients has once again been recognized in the Gallup poll," said NNU President Nancy Hagans, RN. "Especially during these uncertain times, our patients know we will always be there to advocate for them, whether that means standing up to our employers' corporate greed and demanding safe patient care conditions in our workplaces-or speaking up at the highest levels of power on issues that impact public health and safety. Year after year, nurses will always fight to ensure our patients come first."

In a poll conducted Dec. 2-18, 2024, 76 percent of U.S. adults said nurses have "high" or "very high" honesty and ethical standards. Gallup first conducted its Honesty and Ethics poll in 1976 and has updated it annually since 1990. A handful of professions have been on the list every year, while Gallup asks about others periodically.

Three in four Americans consider nurses highly honest and ethical, making them once again the most trusted of 23 professions rated in Gallup's annual measurement. Nurses have taken the number one spot on Gallup's Honesty and Ethics list in all but one year since they were added in 1999. The exception was 2001, after the September 11 attacks, when firefighters were measured for one year and took the top spot.

With nearly 225,000 members nationwide, NNU has been a leading force for building an equitable health care system that puts patients over profits. NNU just capped another banner year of organizing and collective bargaining, with nurses winning union election victories in states across the country and securing historic contracts that increase nurses' power to protect their patients. NNU nurse leaders have also testified to the U.S. Congress on issues including safe staffing, Medicare for All, and artificial intelligence in health care.

"At the bedside, at the bargaining table, and in the halls of power, nurses build trust with our patients by taking care of them," said Hagans. "We don't take their trust for granted, which is why we're going to continue to organize and fight for the safer care conditions and the public health protections that every single one of our patients across this country deserves."

National Nurses Organizing Committee is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with nearly 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates also include California Nurses Association, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.