At least lawyers are consistent….. trusted by about 30%…according to Roy Morgan’ s poll
June 14, 2009 |
Roy Morgan’s annual survey of the professions finds lawyers rating 14th out of 30 in the trust and ethics stakes, stuck between bank managers and public servants. Lawyers dropped 5 points from 2008 but 2007 – 2008 was something of a bumper year in the trust stakes. Nurses rate the highest while car salesmen rate the lowest. I am surprised that estate agents rate higher than journalists. I always thought we admired those who write fiction. The press release stated:
In the annual Roy Morgan Image of Professions survey 89% (unchanged in a year) of Australians aged 14 and over rate Nurses as the most ethical and honest profession — the 15th year in a row since Nurses were first included on the survey in 1994.
Pharmacists (84%, down 2%), Doctors (82%, up 3%) and School teachers (76%, down 2%) have been consistently ranked near the top while Dentists (69%, down 1%), Engineers (69%, down 3%), State Supreme Court Judges (68%, up 1%) and High Court Judges (67%, up 1%) also regularly rate highly.
Comparing 2009 results to those of 2008 shows that the image of most professions declined in 2009. Of 29 professions surveyed in both years, 23 saw declines in 2009, while three professions were unchanged over the year. Only three professions, Doctors (82%, up 3%), State Supreme Court Judges (68%, up 1%) and High Court Judges (67%, up 1%), rose over the year.
Financial Planners (25%), included for the first time in 2009, ranked 16th overall, just behind Public Servants (28%, down 1%), Lawyers (30%, down 5%) but marginally ahead of Public opinion pollsters (17%, down 5%), Federal MPs (19%, down 4%) and State MPs (18%, down 2%).
Although Bank Managers (33%, unchanged) were not negatively effected by the global financial crisis, Business Executives (17%, down 5%) and Directors of Public companies (16%, down 5%) both had large falls in 2009 as worries about the stability of the world’s financial systems mounted.
As in previous years, journalists are not looked upon too favourably with Television Reporters / JournalistsNewspaper Journalists (9%, down 5%). (14%, down 2%) ahead of ahead of Newspaper Journalists (9%, down 5%).
At the foot of the table were the ‘familiar suspects’ with Car Salesman (3%, down 1%) being the profession least associated with ‘ethics’ and ‘honesty’ while Advertising people (6%, down 3%) are the lowest they have been since the survey began in 1979. Newspaper Journalists (9%, down 5%), Estate Agents (10%, unchanged) and Insurance brokers (11%, down 4%) are also perceived as the least ethical.
