Restaurants Voted Most Popular U.S. Industry Again

The computer industry ranked a close second, but the federal government once again came in last.

August 19, 2016

PRINCETON, N.J. – The restaurant and computer industries, long among the best-rated industries in Gallup’s annual measure of U.S. business sectors, again lead the poll, with 66% of Americans rating each positively. However, with only 7% of Americans viewing the restaurant industry negatively versus 13% for the computer industry, the restaurant industry enjoys the more positive overall image this year.

The restaurant and computer sectors have vied for the most well-reviewed U.S. industry in each of Gallup’s annual measures of this question since 2001. Two other industries connected with food—grocery and farming/agriculture—rank near the top in the recent poll. The remaining six industries in the top 10 represent a hodgepodge of sectors including the accounting, travel, internet, automobile, retail and real estate industries. All of these enjoy better than 2-to-1 positive over negative ratings.

Americans view another 10 industries no worse than neutrally, but in most cases net-positively. The telephone and airline industries lead this group, and it includes several entertainment and communication-related arenas: sports, movies, television and radio, publishing and advertising. Electric and gas utilities, education and banking also make this list.

The bottom five industries are all reviewed more negatively than positively, with three—the federal government, pharmaceuticals and healthcare—receiving negative ratings from more than half of the public. The legal field plus oil and gas have just slightly higher negative than positive ratings. While fairly typical for the legal field, this represents a significantly improved positioning for the oil and gas industry, which had skewed strongly negative from 2004 through 2014.

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