Assessment, Statistics, and Research

Recently, I read a Gallup survey reporting the views of Americans about ethics and honesty of people in various professions. In a sense, the findings indicate how much Americans trust the people in the professions. Nurses won the top spot at 84% "very high" ratings—they have been #1 for 15 years in a row. Clergy are in the middle at 44% and Members of Congress at the bottom of their list at 8%.   Read the survey for more details of this 2017 study. I was surprised by the clergy data. And found another survey, which produced similar results in the UK. The Ipsos MORI poll reported that school-age children highly trusted doctors to tell the truth (88%). But clergy came in at 46%, which is below Scientists at 53%. Levels of trust can vary. And trust can be defined in different ways. How do you measure trust? I found two short trust scales at the Fetzer organization, which are available in a pdf document (see below). You will find references to studies in a