Gallup does an annual survey asking, "Please tell me how you would rate the honesty and ethical standards of people in these different fields -- very high, high, average, or very low?"
Police officers took a bit of a hit this year, dropping six points on their "very high or high" rating, but they didn't change rank, still fourth of eleven. It would tempting to attribute the drop to the highly publicized cases of late, but pharmacists had a drop nearly as large with no obvious cause.
The public seems a bit more cynical overall, with every occupation surveyed but one moving in the negative direction. The one, believe it or not, is lawyers, with a small (and statistically insignificant) uptick of 1%. Lawyers are still pretty low, though, seventh of eleven and only 21% "very high or high." Frankly, given what some members of my profession do, I can't blame the people for that opinion.
Car salespeople and members of Congress bring up the rear.
And the most trusted of the professions ... ?
Police officers took a bit of a hit this year, dropping six points on their "very high or high" rating, but they didn't change rank, still fourth of eleven. It would tempting to attribute the drop to the highly publicized cases of late, but pharmacists had a drop nearly as large with no obvious cause.
The public seems a bit more cynical overall, with every occupation surveyed but one moving in the negative direction. The one, believe it or not, is lawyers, with a small (and statistically insignificant) uptick of 1%. Lawyers are still pretty low, though, seventh of eleven and only 21% "very high or high." Frankly, given what some members of my profession do, I can't blame the people for that opinion.
Car salespeople and members of Congress bring up the rear.
And the most trusted of the professions ... ?
Nurses, as always.
Well, almost always. In 2001, shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Gallup included firefighters, and they came out on top in that survey.
Rebecca Rifkin has this report.
Well, almost always. In 2001, shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Gallup included firefighters, and they came out on top in that survey.
Rebecca Rifkin has this report.
Note that the survey was taken Dec. 8-11, at the height of the slanted, non-stop, every-network coverage of the Michael Brown and Eric Garner deaths at the hands of police, and the outraged stories about the grand juries' decisions not to indict. That created the impression that the police are not only brutal but unaccountable.
Had the survey been taken, say, two months earlier, you have to think the results as respects the police would have been different.