Government ministers, estate agents and journalists remain at the bottom of the league, joined in the wake of the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s victory by the pollsters who didn’t see either coming. Politicians are trusted by just 15% of respondents – a precipitous 6% drop even on the level of trust they enjoyed this time last year.

People were asked to rate 24 job roles in terms of the trustworthiness of those who performed them.

Trust in the police, which dropped to a 33-year low of 58% in 2005 – the year of the London bombings and the police shooting of student Jean Charles de Menezes – has climbed to 71%.

Journalists were trusted by only 24% of people. Given growing levels of secularisation and a number of high-profile sexual abuse cases, the steep drop over the past three decades of trust in clergy and priests – from 85% in 1983 to 69% today – is perhaps unsurprising. Hairdressers (68%) score higher than lawyers, television newsreaders and charity chief executives. Since the 2008 financial crisis, economists and central bankers have had an image problem, but the 2016 index shows that they are trusted by 48% of people.

The stellar 93% rating for nurses was warmly welcomed by Janet Davies, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nurses. “Nurses are some of the most caring, hardworking staff in the UK and it is very encouraging to see their efforts reflected in the eyes of the public,” she said.

“A trusting relationship is absolutely essential in healthcare. As pressures on the health service rise, it’s particularly positive that the public have maintained their faith in the frontline staff working tirelessly for them throughout these difficult times. These results highlight the critical role nurses play in the lives of people in the UK. …”