New survey shows strong public trust in NPHET but lack of trust in politicians

Trust in policy makers has declined.

A new survey shows that while there is strong public trust in healthcare professionals and the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), there is also a lack of trust in Government ministers and politicians. The latest edition of the Ipsos MRBI Veracity Index - which polls trust in professions in Ireland - was conducted via telephone against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. It found that local pharmacists (96%), nurses (95%) and doctors (94%) were the most trusted professionals. Though trust in NPHET did fall marginally, it remains strong at 87%. That said, Government Ministers (31%) and politicians (24%) were deemed less trusted to tell the truth, seeing the biggest declines since 2021. Director at Ipsos MRBI Tarik Laher said: “As Ireland grapples with the challenges of the Covid pandemic, we continue to trust our doctors, nurses and pharmacists the most when it comes to telling us the truth, as they once again top our Veracity Index. "Seven in eight of us also trust NPHET in this regard, though political figures in particular may be disappointed to see their lower trust levels among the public falling." The survey also shows that advertising executives (17%) and social media influencers (6%) are the least trusted professionals, while trust in our fellow citizen saw the biggest increase - rising four points to 58%. For the survey, Ipsos MRBI interviewed a representative quota sample of more than 1,000 adults aged 15 and over by telephone between 24 February and 7 March, 2021.