The nation’s largest union of registered nurses, National Nurses United (NNU), today celebrated being named the Gallup poll’s most honest and ethical profession for the 22nd consecutive year.  

“Nurses are incredibly honored that the sacred bond of trust we have with our patients has once again been uplifted in the Gallup poll,” said NNU President Jean Ross, RN. “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 January 1 to January 20, 2023, 78 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.

“The image of many professions -- particularly those in the medical field -- sharply improved in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that effect was short-lived … a select few -- led by nurses for the 22nd consecutive year -- maintain overall positive ratings,” read the Gallup release.

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 is 2001, when firefighters were measured on a one-time basis shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

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 a 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 recently testified to the U.S. Congress on issues including safe staffing, Medicare for All, and artificial intelligence in health care.

“In a health care system animated by corporate greed, nurses are driven by care, and we are empowered by the public’s trust in our profession,” said Ross. “We want our patients to know that nurses will stay loud and keep using our collective power through 2024 and beyond to win the safe patient care conditions and public health protections people across this country deserve.”

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union of registered nurses in the United States with nearly 225,000 members nationwide.