For the first time in Gallup’s 20 years of tracking Americans’ views of various business and industry sectors, farming and agriculture is a clear leader. The former top-ranking industries, restaurants, and computers are still in the top four, with the grocery industry rounding out the bunch.
Gallup
For each of the sectors those who answered were told to say what their overall view of it was, either very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative, or very negative.
This year’s rankings reflect significant changes in the ratings of six industries, three of which are delivering vital goods and services to Americans during the pandemic. These three -- healthcare, farming, and pharmaceuticals -- are all rated more positively this year than in 2019, although where they rank on the list differs.
Farming and agriculture was already among the top-rated industries before 2020, but it has now moved to No. 1 with a 69% positive rating -- an 11-percentage-point increase.