Trust In Trade Union Officials Has Risen 30 Percentage Points Since The 1980s

With a wave of strikes disrupting public life, many reports claim the UK has reverted ‘back in the 1970s’. But recently published data reveals a gulf between historic public perceptions of trade unions and current attitudes.

Moneyzine.co.uk can reveal that the UK public’s trust in trade union officials has risen dramatically in the last four decades, with almost half of the public now saying they trust trade union officials - more than three times more than trust politicians.

Faith in politicians slumps

A large annual study has revealed the professions the UK public most trusts. The results shed light on changing dynamics within British society, with politicians falling 7 percentage points since 2021. Today, just 12% of Britons say they trust them - making politicians the least trusted profession.

Joining politicians at the bottom of the poll were advertising executives (14%), Government ministers (16%) and estate agents (28%). The most trusted professions were nurses (89%), engineers (87%), doctors (85%) and scientists (83%).

Surprising growth in trust

Few will be shocked to learn that the public distrusts politicians. But several professions with ‘bad PR’ have actually risen in trustworthiness, according to these results. Despite widespread fears about ‘fake news’, trust in TV news readers rose 6 percentage points last year - and trust in journalists remains at a 39 year-high.

Equally, trade union officials have been attacked by many elements of the press over the last year. But popular support for them actually rose in the last 12 months, with 48% of the public now saying they trust trade union officials to tell the truth.

This demonstrates how dramatically public opinion has shifted over the last few decades. Trust in trade union officials has risen 30 percentage points since 1983, with a 4 percentage point increase in the last year alone.

Some of this may be explained by perceptions of the government’s responses to strikes. Another poll found that while the public was split on whether it supported trade unions, it was united behind its belief that the Government has handled the situation poorly; fewer than 1 in 5 (17%) think Rishi Sunak’s Government has done a good job negotiating to prevent strikes.

However, political orientation appears to play a large part in this: while 26% of Conservative voters trust politicians, just 11% of Labour voters say the same. While trade union officials are trusted by a whopping 65% of Labour voters - and just 29% of Conservatives.

This data shows that media portrayals are often misaligned with public perception. Journalists, TV news readers and trade unionists take a bashing in many reports - but the public is far more sympathetic than we’re led to believe.

Jonathan Merry, CEO of Moneyzine.co.uk