The data reveals that only 27% of U.S. adults currently rate the honesty and ethics of pastors as high or very high, according to an analysis by Lifeway Research.
This figure represents a three-point decline from the previous record low recorded in 2024 and continues a downward trend that has persisted for over a decade.
"27% of U.S. adults say clergy members have high or very high levels of honesty and ethics," according to the Gallup report, marking a significant shift from the mid-1980s when 67% of the population held clergy in the highest regard.
While 6% of respondents give pastors a very high rating and 21% give them a high rating, half of all Americans now rate their honesty as merely average.
Approximately 12% rate the honesty of the clergy as low, 6% say it is very low, and 7% remain unsure. Despite this decline in the perceived ethics of individual pastors, the survey found a slight rebound in general confidence regarding organized religion as an institution.
In 2025, 36% of adults reported having a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in the church, up from a low of 31% in 2022 and 32% in 2024. This suggests that while individual leaders are under scrutiny, the institution itself is seeing a modest stabilization in public perception across the nation.
The erosion of trust is not unique to the ministry, as 15 of the 20 careers analyzed in the 2025 survey experienced declines in their ratings. The average positive rating across a core group of 11 consistently tracked professions reached a new low of 29%.
However, the drop for clergy is the steepest recorded over the last two decades, falling from an average of 56% between 2000 and 2009 to the current 27%. This 29-point decline follows a history of high public standing; in 2001, trust in pastors rose to 64% in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks before beginning a steady descent.
The downward trajectory began in earnest in early 2002 when reports surfaced regarding sex abuse scandals and subsequent cover-ups involving Roman Catholic priests. In the following years, additional reports involving various other denominations and Christian groups were exposed.
The last time a majority of Americans believed clergy held high or very high ethical standards was in 2012, and the rating has declined every year but one since that time. Currently, pastors rank in a category Gallup describes as tilt positive, where they sit alongside high school teachers, police officers, and funeral directors, though they remain far behind the most trusted groups such as nurses, military veterans, and medical doctors.
Demographic data highlights a significant divide in how different groups view the clergy. White Americans are more likely to trust pastors at 33%, compared to 18% of non-white Americans.
Age and education also play significant roles in these perceptions; only 17% of those aged 34 and under express high trust, whereas 38% of those 55 and older maintain a positive view.
Furthermore, those with higher household incomes and more formal education tend to report higher levels of trust than those with lower incomes or less schooling.
Politically, 36% of Republicans rate clergy honesty as high, compared to 25% of Democrats and 24% of Independents, revealing a 15-point partisan trust gap.
