Veterinarians rate high on honesty, ethics
Americans continue to regard veterinarians highly, with the profession ranking third for honesty and ethics among 23 occupations in a recent Gallup poll.
About 71 percent of survey respondents rated the honesty and ethical standards of veterinarians as high or very high. About 84 percent said the same for nurses, and about 73 percent for pharmacists. Physicians and dentists followed veterinarians—at 69 percent and 62 percent, respectively.
Not all medical professionals did so well. Only 38 percent of survey respondents rated the honesty and ethics of psychiatrists as high or very high, and about 36 percent said the same for chiropractors.
Car salespeople were at the bottom of the list of occupations. Just above them were (in ascending order) advertisers, managers of health maintenance organizations, insurance salespeople, and congressional representatives.
Additional information is available at www.galluppoll.com in Article Archives, under Religion and Social Trends.
Survey question: Please tell me how you would rate the honesty and ethical standards of people in these different fields—very high, high, average, low, or very low?
| Profession | Very high/high |
| Nurses | 84% |
| Druggists or pharmacists | 73% |
| Veterinarians | 71% |
| Medical doctors | 69% |
| Dentists | 62% |
| Engineers | 61% |
| College teachers | 58% |
| Clergy | 58% |
| Policemen | 54% |
| Psychiatrists | 38% |
| Bankers | 37% |
| Chiropractors | 36% |
| Journalists | 26% |
| State governors | 22% |
| Business executives | 18% |
| Lawyers | 18% |
| Stockbrokers | 17% |
| Senators | 15% |
| Congressmen | 14% |
| Insurance salesmen | 13% |
| HMO managers | 12% |
| Advertising practitioners | 11% |
| Car salesmen | 7% |