Clergy rank below forecasters and newsreaders in terms of public trust, but are still well ahead of politicians. Public trust in members of the clergy has fallen substantially over the past 30 years, according to a poll by Ipsos MORI, although priests still enjoy relatively high trust compared to other professions. A survey of 998 British adults found that 65% say they trust priests and clergy to tell the truth – down 20% from 1983, and down four since last year.
The figures mean that clergy are the 10th most trusted profession in Britain, ranking below television newsreaders, weather forecasters, nurses and doctors. Despite the drop, more people still say they trust clergy than do not. 30% said they do not trust members of the clergy to tell the truth, giving them a net approval rating of 35%.
Among all demographic groups, clergy also retain a higher level of trust than distrust, achieving particularly high ratings among the over-65 (73%), people in the highest social grades (75%), people with degrees (69%), and people in rural areas (70%).
Young people born in 1996 or later are also much more likely to trust the clergy than those born between 1980 and 1995. 66% of the younger group say they trust priests and clergy, compared to just 54% of the older group. Priests also still rank far above politicians, who only score 17%, and journalists, who have 27%. By contrast, 80% of respondents said they did not trust politicians to tell the truth, and 69% said the same of journalists.
The figures come as religious observance continues to decline in Britain. In September, a survey by the National Centre for Social Research found 53 per cent of adults now describe themselves as having “no religion”, including 71% of 18 to 25 year-olds.
