Health Professionals Continue to be Considered Most Ethical and Honest
| Finding No. 3581 -
December 18, 2002 |
Health professionals continue to top the list of professions Australians describe as having high levels of ethics and honesty.
The three professions most often mentioned by Australians as having high or very high standards of ethics and honesty were all health related, with nursing (90%, unchanged topping the poll for the eighth consecutive year) a Morgan Poll conducted in November 2002 finds. The nursing profession has ranked highest every year since being included on the survey in 1994.
Pharmacists (89%, up 6%) and medical doctors (80%, up 5%) retained second and third place on the list of most respected professions, with school teachers (79%, up 5%), engineers (67%, up 3%) and dentists (67%, up 2%) also rated highly for honesty and ethics.
Accountants and Ministers of Religion showed the largest decrease (Accountants 51%, down 6% and Ministers of Religion 54%, down 6%). This follows the collapse of a number of corporations and Arthur Andersen, and allegations of sexual abuse levelled at Ministers of Religion both in Australia and Overseas.
On the other hand the image of Police jumped to an all time high - with 65% of Australians (up 7%) describing Police as having high or very high standards of ethics and honesty.
Other professions that are considered to be of high honesty and ethical standards by more than half of all Australians are:
-
State Supreme Court Judges (66%, up 2%);
-
University lecturers (66% up 2%)
-
High Court Judges (65%, up 2%)
-
Police (65%, up 7%);
Car salesmen (3%, up 1%) were once again the lowest ranked profession for honesty and ethics, with estate agents (8%, unchanged and newspaper journalists (9%, down 4%) also at the foot of the table.
These are the main findings of an Australia-wide survey of professional ethics and honesty conducted in December 4 - 6, 2002 for which 623 people aged 14 and over were interviewed by telephone.
2. "Very high" or "High" ratings for Ethics and Honesty:
| |
All Australians |
| Occupations |
76 |
79 |
81 |
83 |
84 |
85 |
86 |
87 |
88 |
89 |
90 |
91 |
92 |
93 |
94 |
95 |
96 |
97 |
98 |
99 |
00 |
01 |
02 |
Dif. |
| |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
| Nurses |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
86 |
86 |
87 |
86 |
88 |
89 |
88 |
90 |
90 |
- |
| Pharmacists |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
76 |
76 |
72 |
76 |
79 |
78 |
78 |
79 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
86 |
83 |
83 |
89 |
+6 |
| Doctors |
62 |
62 |
63 |
64 |
64 |
64 |
63 |
65 |
67 |
62 |
70 |
69 |
69 |
65 |
66 |
69 |
72 |
66 |
69 |
74 |
71 |
75 |
80 |
+5 |
| School teachers |
56 |
54 |
55 |
55 |
55 |
54 |
57 |
56 |
55 |
57 |
61 |
59 |
62 |
61 |
65 |
69 |
68 |
64 |
71 |
71 |
70 |
74 |
79 |
+5 |
| Engineers |
* |
53 |
56 |
53 |
53 |
53 |
56 |
56 |
56 |
56 |
55 |
57 |
58 |
56 |
57 |
59 |
56 |
54 |
57 |
57 |
59 |
64 |
67 |
+3 |
| Dentists |
62 |
61 |
62 |
61 |
62 |
65 |
63 |
65 |
68 |
65 |
62 |
64 |
66 |
62 |
60 |
65 |
65 |
60 |
61 |
65 |
64 |
65 |
67 |
+2 |
State Supreme Court Judges |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
61 |
61 |
64 |
66 |
+2 |
| University lecturers |
47 |
51 |
51 |
52 |
51 |
51 |
51 |
51 |
53 |
52 |
53 |
56 |
55 |
53 |
54 |
52 |
50 |
52 |
57 |
56 |
54 |
64 |
66 |
+2 |
| High Court Judges |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
61 |
60 |
63 |
65 |
+2 |
| Police |
52 |
48 |
56 |
53 |
53 |
53 |
56 |
56 |
53 |
53 |
54 |
54 |
53 |
54 |
56 |
59 |
55 |
55 |
60 |
62 |
62 |
58 |
65 |
+7 |
| Ministers of Religion |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
59 |
55 |
56 |
58 |
56 |
54 |
48 |
-6 |
| Accountants |
* |
* |
51 |
47 |
48 |
47 |
50 |
50 |
47 |
46 |
47 |
46 |
47 |
46 |
42 |
45 |
46 |
43 |
43 |
49 |
45 |
51 |
45 |
-6 |
| Lawyers |
43 |
41 |
38 |
41 |
44 |
41 |
39 |
41 |
41 |
41 |
37 |
38 |
34 |
32 |
30 |
32 |
29 |
29 |
26 |
34 |
29 |
32 |
30 |
-2 |
| Bank managers |
66 |
66 |
61 |
62 |
61 |
58 |
60 |
58 |
54 |
50 |
49 |
40 |
44 |
41 |
37 |
39 |
37 |
32 |
36 |
33 |
26 |
30 |
29 |
-1 |
| Public opinion pollsters |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
34 |
33 |
29 |
30 |
35 |
35 |
27 |
29 |
+2 |
| TV reporters |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
16 |
17 |
15 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
13 |
12 |
11 |
12 |
14 |
12 |
18 |
18 |
- |
| Business executives |
22 |
22 |
22 |
18 |
22 |
19 |
23 |
24 |
21 |
20 |
19 |
15 |
17 |
16 |
17 |
17 |
17 |
16 |
18 |
22 |
17 |
19 |
17 |
-2 |
Talk-back radio announcers |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
18 |
14 |
17 |
17 |
- |
| State MPs |
21 |
20 |
16 |
20 |
17 |
14 |
17 |
12 |
14 |
15 |
11 |
10 |
10 |
11 |
10 |
12 |
12 |
9 |
7 |
13 |
12 |
14 |
17 |
+3 |
Directors of public companies |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
20 |
18 |
20 |
20 |
17 |
18 |
17 |
20 |
18 |
17 |
16 |
-1 |
| Federal MPs |
19 |
16 |
15 |
19 |
19 |
13 |
16 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
13 |
10 |
10 |
11 |
10 |
9 |
13 |
9 |
7 |
13 |
11 |
16 |
16 |
- |
| Stock brokers |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
19 |
20 |
18 |
18 |
15 |
14 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
13 |
16 |
15 |
15 |
19 |
16 |
18 |
14 |
-4 |
| Union leaders |
9 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
7 |
7 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
9 |
10 |
9 |
12 |
13 |
11 |
12 |
14 |
11 |
-3 |
| Insurance brokers |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
13 |
15 |
13 |
13 |
12 |
10 |
12 |
10 |
11 |
10 |
9 |
12 |
11 |
14 |
11 |
14 |
10 |
-4 |
| Advertising people |
9 |
11 |
9 |
9 |
9 |
8 |
11 |
11 |
8 |
9 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
9 |
8 |
10 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
9 |
10 |
8 |
10 |
+2 |
| Newspaper journalists |
12 |
14 |
13 |
11 |
11 |
11 |
12 |
11 |
11 |
9 |
10 |
8 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
9 |
9 |
7 |
13 |
9 |
-4 |
| Estate agents |
* |
* |
* |
11 |
9 |
10 |
10 |
11 |
11 |
11 |
11 |
9 |
9 |
10 |
9 |
11 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
11 |
10 |
8 |
8 |
- |
| Car salesmen |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
+1 |
| * Not included in poll. |
The Morgan Poll is conducted by the ONLY Australian or New Zealand member of the Gallup International Association. No other public opinion poll taken in Australia or New Zealand has this qualification.
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