News Update

Trust in teachers declines during the pandemic, poll finds

Americans’ trust in teachers has dropped 6 percentage points since 2019, according to a survey by Ipsos, a global research firm.

The survey, summarized in K-12 Dive, found that trust in teachers dropped from 63% in 2019 to 57% in 2021. Democrats were more likely to trust teachers, but even that number dropped from 77% to 71%. Among Republicans, trust in teachers slipped from 59% to 56%.

Chris Jackson, senior vice president and head of polling at Ipsos, told K-12 Dive that the reasons for the decline include opposition to schools’ mask and vaccine requirements as well as political conflicts over how the role of race in America should be taught in K-12 classrooms.

Overall, teachers ranked fourth among the most-trusted professionals, behind doctors, military service members and scientists. Politicians ranked last.