Americans hate big pharma more than they do the government (but they still really dislike the government)

AP Photo/Jessica Hill

Cheryl Juaire addresses family and friends who have lost loved ones to OxyContin and Opioid overdoses during a protest at Purdue Pharma LLP headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, on August 17, 2018.

• The pharmaceutical industry ranks below all other public and private sectors in favorability among Americans, according to a new Gallup poll.
• Earlier this year, Congress grilled pharmaceutical leaders for charging high prices for prescription drugs.
• Other top-hated industries include the federal government, healthcare, and the legal field.

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America hates big pharma.

The pharmaceutical industry has ranked last in favorability among Americans, according to a new poll conducted by Gallup. This year marked the lowest net positivity rating - or the difference between people who say they like the industry and those who dislike the industry - that the pharmaceutical industry has had since Gallup started polling in 2001.

Pharma's -31 net positivity rating was so low, only a handful of industries had been ranked lower. Other hated sectors include the federal government, and oil and gas companies.

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America's distaste for the scandal-plagued pharmaceutical industry isn't without reason. Earlier this year, Congress grilled pharma leaders for the high cost of prescription drugs. An Oklahoma judge recently ordered Johnson & Johnson pay $572 million for its role in the opioid epidemic. Novartis and other major pharma companies stopped developing life-saving medicine for lack of profit.

The pharmaceutical industry unseated the federal government for America's most hated industry. The federal government had been last or tied last on Gallup's poll since 2011. This year, it ranks as the second least favorable industry.

Other hated industries include the legal field, healthcare, and the ad industry.

Americans view the restaurant and computer industries most favorably, according to Gallup. Farming and accounting also rank highly in net positivity.

Here are the top 10 most hated industries in America.