CILIP commissioned YouGov to discover which professional groups the public believes most likely to provide trustworthy information. 2000 adults were asked about their attitudes to sourcing information.
- 66% said that it is harder than ever to find trustworthy information
- 84% said that they trust information more when it is given by a professional
- 90% agree that it is important to educate people on how to find trustworthy information
Medical staff topped the public’s list of trustworthy professionals, followed by teachers and police officers. Librarians took fifth position (46%). Unsurprisingly, politicians took the wooden spoon – only 2% of the population felt they could be trusted to provide trustworthy information.
The Pew Research Center in the USA also monitors the trust relationship between the public and its public libraries. Here too, when asked, the public express their concern about sourcing reliable information. 78% feel that public libraries help them find reliable and trustworthy information – and this figure is even higher for millennials (87%).
Sources: CILIP; Pew Research Center.