Hairdressers named the most trusted workers - as faith in the Church slumps to a new low

About 85 per cent of the public trusted the Church thirty years ago

Sex abuse cases in the Catholic and Anglican Church, as well as a decline in religious belief, have eroded the Church's authority in matters of truthfulness (AFP)

Once-respected institutions such as the Church now enjoy less trust among the general public than professions incuding hairdressing.

According to pollsters Ipsos Mori, 69 percent of people trust their hairdresser to tell them the truth compared to slightly fewer - 67 per cent - who trust the clergy.

This contrasts sharply with the respect afforded to priests three decades ago, when some 85 per cent of people saw the Church as trustworthy.

The decline in the number of people who identify as Christian, coupled with the historic sex abuse cases that have plagued the Church in recent years, have been cited as factors behind the decline in trust.

Bobby Duffy, director of the Social Research Institute of Ipsos MORI, said trust in professions such as politics had always been low, but other groups had seen increasing drops in public confidence.

"Public trust in politicians remains steadfastly low...it's good to remind ourselves that this is not a 'new crisis of trust'.

"Other professions, though, have seen a long-term decline in trust, most notably the clergy, who were the most trusted profession when we startred the series in 1983 and have fallen behind seven other groups."

Fellow members of the public also came out as more trusted than the clergy, with 68 per cent of those surveyed saying they would expect people on the street to be honest.

Trust in others did range significantly with age, however, with younger generations much less trusting than older generations.

Yet even as the salon chair replaces the confession box, other professions came out as less trustworthy still than the clergy.

Those jobs least trusted to be honest are:

1. Politicians - 21 per cent

2. Government ministers - 22 per cent

3. Estate agents - 25 per cent

4. Journalists - 25 per cent

5. Business leaders - 35 per cent

The effect of the phone hacking scandal and sensationalist headlines continued to dog the media, while big business, estate agents and politicians were all seen as having powerful vested interests to bend the truth.