Big Pharma Emerges As The Most Despised Industry In The US, Federal Government Next: Gallup Poll

The pharmaceutical industry is now the most poorly regarded industry in Americans' eyes, ranking last on a list of 25 industries that Gallup tests annually.

58 percent of those polled rated the pharmaceutical industry poorly, while only 27 percent rated it positively, for a net rating of -31, the lowest in the poll, and the lowest for the industry since 2001, when Gallup began studying the question.

The federal government had a -27 net rating, the second-worst of the 25 industries included in the poll, followed by the health-care industry with a -10 net rating.
The poll surveyed 1,525 adults in all 50 states and Washington, DC from August 1–14.

The pharmaceutical industry has unseated the federal government as the lowest-rated industry this year, in terms of its net-positive score; the government has been last or tied for last from 2011 through 2018. The healthcare industry's negative ratings also exceed its positive ratings by double digits, while the advertising and public relations industry's net rating is barely negative.

Americans continue to give their highest ratings to the restaurant and computer industries, while the grocery industry and agriculture and farming also rank near the top of the list, with net-positive ratings that are better than +40.

The US is hit by a massive opioid epidemic, which many have blamed on misleading marketing by drugmakers. As the opioid epidemic rages on -- and as the actors involved in creating it continue to experience lawsuits, protests and public shaming -- it may be hard for the pharmaceutical industry to win the perception battle anytime soon. The industry's rating likely will not recover until its role in the opioid epidemic is addressed, and the political pressure on the industry for high prices and massive profits subsides.