With many in Ireland currently glued to our TV screens for the latest episodes of RTE’s The Traitors, we answer the question – who do the Irish public trust to tell the truth?
The Ipsos Veracity Index is the longest-running poll on trust in professions in Ireland, first measured in 2005. The 2025 edition, conducted via nationally representative telephone survey, tracked the latest movements in public trust in key professions.
Selected highlights for 2025 (vs. last year) include;
- Healthcare professionals are again the three most trusted professions, with Nurses (96%), Local Pharmacists (96%) and Doctors (93%) leading the way.
- In an age where the climate crisis is rarely out of the news, trust in Scientists (85%, +4 points) and Weather Forecasters (76%, +4 points) show good improvements.
- Trust in Teachers (87%, -4 points) and Gardai (84%, +2 points) remain high.
- Public trust in Bankers (48%, +3 points) continues to recover.
- 60% (+2 points) of us trust our fellow citizen, while 56% trust Pollsters (+5 points).
- Trust in the Clergy/Priests recovers by 4 points to 61%.
- Some professions that have previously scored lower show some improvements in trust since 2024; Charity Chief Executives (53%, +5 points), Estate Agents (41%, +7 points) and EU Leaders (46%, +5 points).
- However, trust in both Government Ministers (32%, -3 points) and Politicians (23%, -4 points) remains low and is falling.
- Our trust in Artificial Intelligence is low at 29%, though it is up 5 points year-on-year.
- Social Media Influencers (7%, +1 points) receive the lowest trust score.
Tarik Laher, Director at Ipsos B&A said;
“The Irish public continue to trust our healthcare professionals the most when it comes to telling us the truth, as they have since the inception of the Ipsos B&A Veracity Index. It is encouraging to see that we retain our faith in many professions, with the majority of professions showing positive increases this year, suggesting that overall trust levels are improving.
In the age of climate crisis, trust in Scientists and Weather Forecasters show positive improvements, while our trust in pillars of society, such as Teachers and Gardai remain high. Public trust in Bankers continues to improve on an annual basis.
If those mentioned to date might be deemed “the faithful”, who do we consider to be “the traitors”?
The news is less positive for Government Ministers and politicians, as their traditionally low trust scores show further decline.
Less than one in three of us trust artificial intelligence, while social media influencers have the lowest trust score overall.
There is no doubt that our trust levels continue to vary, and with no foolproof shield available, no professions are immune to the judgement of the Irish public.”
Full results are available in the link below, with a graphic available for download.
Technical note:
Ipsos B&A interviewed a representative quota-controlled sample of 710 adults aged 16+ by telephone between 2nd-24th April 2025. Data is weighted to match the profile of the population.
Contact:
For more information, please contact Tarik Laher (Director, Ipsos B&A) : Tarik.Laher@ipsos.com / 087-2794588
