Highlights
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In a significant shift, confidence in U.S. police has surged by eight percentage points this past year, reaching 51%, marking the most substantial year-on-year change in public trust among 17 critical U.S. institutions, as revealed in Gallup’s 2024 annual update.
The American populace delivers a stern critique of a range of institutions and professions; however, law enforcement consistently emerges favorably in reports concerning public satisfaction, including those by Gallup and others for 2025.
The general use or “threat of force” (all encounters) stood at only 2%, according to several U.S. Department of Justice polls. This trend suggests most police officers are engaging with the community respectfully, contributing to the public’s increased confidence and trust in law enforcement amid criticism directed at other institutions (such as Congress and the media).
Author
Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.
A former Senior Specialist for Crime Prevention and Statistics for the U.S. Department of Justice, Leonard has also served as the Director of Information Services for the National Crime Prevention Council and as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, University College. With former experience as a police officer and a retired federal senior spokesperson, he offers powerful insights into crime and community relations.
Leonard has also been an advisor to presidential and gubernatorial campaigns and distinguished himself as an advisor to the national “McGruff-Take a Bite Out of Crime” media campaign, producing successful state-level anti-crime media initiatives. He possesses over 35 years of experience directing award-winning public relations for various criminal justice agencies and has been extensively interviewed on crime statistics and related research.
He holds a Certificate of Advanced Study from The Johns Hopkins University and is the author of “Success With The Media: Everything You Need To Survive Reporters and Your Organization,” which is available at Amazon and other book retailers.
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Article
Recently, a reader expressed curiosity regarding American law enforcement ratings. He referred to a January 2025 Gallup report and my previous article discussing the July 2024 Gallup report regarding potential discrepancies in the results.
The July 15, 2024 Gallup Report titled U.S. Confidence in Institutions Mostly Flat, But Police Up reported a 43% rating for law enforcement in 2023, which improved to 51% in 2024, based on respondents indicating “A Great Deal/Quite A Lot” of confidence.
Contrarily, the January 13, 2025 Gallup Report titled Americans’ Ratings of U.S. Professions Stay Historically Low presented police with a 2023 rating of 45%, which dipped to 44% in 2025 based on perceptions of “High/Very High” ethical standards.
The reader inquired about the contradiction in these results.
Understanding the Disparity
In the context of public trust in law enforcement, precise methodology is crucial—often revealing varied perspectives based on how questions are framed. The two Gallup reports, despite seeming contradictory, evaluate different metrics regarding public perception of police.
In the January 13, 2025 report, “Americans’ Ratings of U.S. Professions Stay Historically Low,” 44% of respondents rated police honesty and ethical standards as “high” or “very high.” This rating remained relatively stable from the previous year at 45%. At face value, this might imply little change in public perception.
Conversely, in the July 15, 2024 report, “U.S. Confidence in Institutions Mostly Flat, But Police Up,” 51% expressed a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the institution of police, a noteworthy uptick from 43% the previous year.
This raises the question: Are Americans losing confidence in law enforcement?
Comparing Two Studies
To clarify, the difference lies in the survey methods used by Gallup. Different polls evaluate varying aspects of public sentiment:
The “Honesty and Ethics” poll assesses opinions on the personal integrity and moral conduct of individuals in various professions, including police officers, teachers, nurses, and members of Congress. This survey is more focused on individual reputations.
The “Confidence in Institutions” poll, however, addresses levels of trust in major organizations, such as the military, Supreme Court, news media, and police departments. This focuses on public sentiment towards the institution as a whole.
The variation in question phrasing is significant. Some respondents may perceive police officers as lacking individual honesty (resulting in lower ratings) while still believing in the essential societal role that the police institution fulfills (resulting in higher confidence scores).
Importance of Understanding Polls
These two measurements, though related, convey different narratives. This distinction holds substantial relevance amid ongoing conversations surrounding policing practices. Stakeholders including policymakers, media, and the public must recognize how survey questions can influence the interpretation of trust or distrust towards law enforcement.
Observing polls that indicate rises or falls in public trust in police? Always scrutinize the specifics. While raw numbers may be accurate, the underlying stories could reveal layers of complexity.
Article Supporting Data from July 2024
My prior article, U.S. Confidence In American Policing Dramatically Improves, articulates findings based on a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the police institution.
According to the insights from Gallup, the average confidence level across U.S. institutions typically rests at a historically low benchmark of 28%. Yet, for law enforcement, public confidence surged eight percentage points over the course of the last year to 51%, making it the most significant improvement amongst the 17 major institutions assessed in Gallup’s yearly review.
There was a notable decline in faith in the police following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, which saw confidence drop to 48%. It did experience a brief rebound to 51% in 2021 but subsequently faced a downward trend, reaching a record low of 43% in 2022.
Encouragingly, confidence in law enforcement appears to be rising among various demographic segments, especially among younger adults (ages 18 to 34), communities of color, and political independents who previously expressed lower confidence levels.
This article highlights additional positive ratings regarding law enforcement. Should the topic interest you, be sure to review it.
Among the 17 institutions evaluated, law enforcement placed third. Given the intense scrutiny and challenges faced by police in recent years, this recognition is indeed remarkable.
An overwhelming majority of individuals polled conveyed favorable sentiments towards the institution of law enforcement, particularly when considering classifications of “a great deal,” “quite a lot,” or “some” confidence levels.
2025 Gallup Report on Professions: Honesty and Ethics Ratings
The latest Gallup report, released on January 13, 2025, titled Americans’ Ratings of U.S. Professions Stay Historically Low, focused on perceptions of “High/Very High,” awarding police a 45% rating in 2023 and a 44% in 2025, reflecting views on the personal integrity and behavior of individuals within various professions.
Interestingly, the profession deemed most trustworthy is nursing, with three out of four Americans considering nurses highly honest and ethical. Grade-school teachers occupy the second spot with 61% positive ratings, followed closely by military officers, pharmacists, and medical doctors, all of which receive majority trust from the population.
Occupations perceived as least trusted by more than half of American adults include lobbyists, congressional members, and television reporters.
Among other tested professions, police officers, judges, and clergy members are generally viewed more positively than negatively, albeit without crossing the 50% trust threshold. Conversely, numerous other professions, including bankers and corporate executives, are seen more negatively than positively without surpassing 50% ratings for ethical standards.
The final takeaway is that law enforcement outperformed 14 of the 23 professions assessed in terms of trustworthiness, including positions like clerical staff, bankers, and media representatives.
The law enforcement category was granted a comprehensive score of 79 when considering ratings of “High/Very High/Average.”
Final Thoughts
In light of ongoing discussions about policing, it is critical to comprehend how public opinion metrics are collected and interpreted.
Firstly, it is essential to recognize the widespread scrutiny facing many American institutions today. Various entities are undergoing severe evaluations.
In this landscape, law enforcement is performing relatively well, especially compared to its peers.
Challenges are inevitable with police operations, where interactions can lead to disputes—an inherent dynamic in any public-facing service, including law, medicine, media, or business.
However, polling data indicates that most police interactions are perceived positively, which is a remarkable outcome considering the complexities of their role.
Public sentiment consistently supports the presence of police within communities.
Gallup further suggests that North American law enforcement ranks favorably compared to global counterparts.
Given that the reported usage or threat of force stands at just 2% (according to repeated U.S. Department of Justice polling), it is evident that many police officers strive to engage with communities respectfully. This interactive approach is why law enforcement is often viewed favorably, even amidst widespread skepticism towards other institutions such as Congress or the media.
Attribution
Research assistance and wording improvements were provided by Ghat GPT in certain segments of this article.
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