Bankers, journalists and politicians all come in above estate agents as the least trusted professionals in the UK. But is that a fair assessment?
Whenever I meet someone new, before long we talk about our careers and I routinely get a slightly nervous glance when I mention I’m a journalist.
This is the kind of look which I reserve for estate agents, but after a run of hacking scandals I now seem to have joined the category of ‘least trusted professionals’ along with bankers and politicians.
Now, while I don’t agree with this title, I can see how people would classify certain professions in this way.
Top and bottom of the list
Which? asked 2,060 adults their views on trusting people in different professions. Looking at the least-trusted professions, top - or rather bottom - of the list with 72% of the votes are politicians. Journalists came in second with 67%, while bankers placed as the third worst with 65%.
Unsurprisingly 82% of people said nurses were most trusted, with 80% choosing doctors and 69% putting teachers into third place. However, the results also show that people in these top positions are also more likely to be sacked if they fail to comply with industry codes or receive complaints from consumers.
At the other end of the scale people in the least trusted professions are much more likely to get away with bad behaviour and not face the risk of losing their jobs.
The least trusted professions in the UK
|
Profession |
Trust |
Don’t trust |
|
Politicians |
7% |
72% |
|
Journalists |
7% |
67% |
|
Bankers |
11% |
65% |
|
Estate agents |
11% |
51% |
|
Builders |
19% |
35% |
|
Civil servants |
25% |
27% |
|
Accountants |
29% |
28% |
|
Lawyers |
35% |
30% |
|
Engineers |
56% |
6% |
|
Teachers |
69% |
7% |
|
Doctors |
80% |
6% |
|
Nurses |
82% |
4% |
Do you agree with the list? Is it right that politicians, journalists and bankers take the top three spots or are there other professions which should be included? Let me know in the comment box below.
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