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In 2025, most Americans feel positive about farming and agriculture, the computer industry, and restaurants.
At the opposite end of industry-love are the Federal Government, pharmaceutical companies, and advertising and PR, we learn in Gallup’s annual ratings of 25 key U.S. business sectors survey, fielded in August 2025.
Here’s the eye-straining table of those 25 sectors, calling out health care which has a net majority negative rating by 51% of U.S. adults: that is, 27% feeling somewhat negative about healthcare, and 24% feeling “very negative” about the healthcare industry.
Only the Federal Government and pharma garner that level of over 50% negative feelings among U.S. adults (the orange + red bars).
Gallup’s commentary calls out that the Federal Government once again returned to the bottom position of worst-rated sector, displacing the pharmaceutical industry which was in last place for the past two years — this year “rebounding” in Gallup’s word with an 8-percentage point increase to the positive. Still, pharma ranks very low compared with other industries with which consumers interact — with Gallup noting that on 13% of Americans have “neutral” views of the industry, a relatively low percentage in this study versus other sectors.
I pulled out healthcare this second close-up chart — which in this study covers health insurance and hospitals, the other two industry stakeholders serving peoples’ macro health care needs. We see about one-third of Americans (36%) have net positive views of health care, and then the 51% negative to the right on the top bar.
Contrast this to 37% of U.S. consumers with negative views of advertising/PR, and 61% negative about the Federal Government.
Health Populi’s Hot Points: Gallup has tracked industry views among Americans for many years, recognizing a link between which party resides in the Oval Office as usually reflected more positive views on business and industry.
The third chart illustrates the partisan differences among Americans comparing Republicans and Republican leaders compared with Democrats and Democratic leaners. Note the largest partisan differences in terms of positive views are for the oil and gas sector, faming and ag, automobiles, and retail.
The Democrats and leaners are more positive toward lawyers and the movie industry.
The sad numbers for health care and pharma are part of the low-trust situation Americans face in 2025 in this Age of Grievance as Edelman has characterized health citizenry this year.
It is clear in terms of politics approaching a couple of days before potential U.S. government shutdown and a year before mid-term elections that health care — both in terms of health insurance and hospitals (esp. costs), and pharmaceutical pricing and PBM regulation along with direct-to-consumer advertising, that cross-party, there will be some consensus that health care needs major change — in terms of access, costs, choice (think: telehealth versus brick-and-mortar), quality, and equity.
Health care and loss of ACA-accessible insurance is at the top of mind for millions of U.S. consumers — along with drug costs and access to innovative therapies. Watch this space very closely in the coming days, weeks, and months.
The post The Least-Positively Viewed Industries in America are the Federal Government, Pharma, and Advertising – The 2025 Gallup Poll on Industry-Love in America appeared first on HealthPopuli.com.
