Malaysians Rate Politicians and Influencers as the Least Trusted Professions
Source: The Rakyat Post
Teachers, doctors, and scientists take the lead as the most trusted professions.
A recent study by global market research firm Ipsos has revealed that politicians and social media influencers are among the least trusted professions in Malaysia.
The survey, released on 19 December, shows that 41% of Malaysians express distrust towards politicians, significantly lower than the global average of 58%. Social media influencers follow closely, with 36% of Malaysians sharing similar sentiments. On a global scale, 56% of respondents admit to distrusting influencers.
Interestingly, Malaysia’s distrust levels are lower than the global trend. Approximately half of the global population considers politicians, social media influencers, and government ministers as untrustworthy.
Further down the list, 30% of Malaysian respondents distrust advertising executives and religious leaders.
Professionals Garnering Higher Trust
In contrast, teachers, doctors, and scientists remain the most trusted professionals in Malaysia. The trust in doctors, however, has dropped by 3%, while teachers have seen a slight rise in trust by 1% compared to the previous year. Trust in judges also saw a 3% increase.
Evelyn Tan, interim country manager for Ipsos Malaysia, commented that the overall trust pattern has remained stable. “Professions such as doctors, teachers, scientists, and the military continue to lead as the most trusted,” she noted.
Tan also pointed out the ongoing skepticism toward social media influencers. Despite their increasing visibility, trust in influencers continues to remain low.The Ipsos survey was conducted online, surveying 23,530 adults under 75 across 32 countries from 24 May to 7 June 2024.
