Changing attitudes toward the pharmaceutical industry
Authors: Chad Lackey, Ph.D. and Ellen Brickman, Ph.D. For years, the public viewed the pharmaceutical industry negatively, with public sentiment reaching its lowest levels in 2019. In Gallup’s annual survey of opinions about different industries, the pharmaceutical industry ranked dead last that year, with 58% viewing it negatively and only 27% viewing it positively. In fact, these ratings were the lowest since Gallup began assessing opinions of different industries in 2001. Some data suggest that public opinion of the pharmaceutical industry dramatically improved during the COVID-19 pandemic. While Gallup showed only a modest improvement of 7% gains in positive ratings