CPA Trendlines

Accountants score 17% in Harris poll, recover from Enron-era low

Still, accountants, at 17%, join real estate brokers (6%), stockbrokers (11%), business executives (11%), actors (12%), union leaders (12%), journalists (12%) bankers (17%), and entertainers (18%) at the lowest ratings for “very great prestige.” To be sure, the poll doesn’t measure perceptions of integrity.

Six occupations get top ratings, with “very great” prestige: firefighters (63%), doctors (58%), nurses (55%), scientists (54%), teachers (52%) and military officers (51%). They are followed by police officers (43%) and priests/ministers/clergymen (40%).

Key trends over the last 29 years:
● Those who see teachers as having “very great” prestige has risen 23 points from 29 to 52 percent.
● Those who say lawyers have “very great” prestige has fallen 15 points, from 36 to 21 percent.
● Scientists have fallen 12 points from 66 to 54 percent.
● Business executives have fallen seven points from 18 to 11 percent.
● Doctors have fallen three points from 61 to 58 percent.
● Athletes have also fallen three points from 26 to 23 percent.

For the record, pollsters asked: “I am going to read off a number of different occupations. For each, would you tell me if you feel it is an occupation of very great prestige, considerable prestige, some prestige or hardly any prestige at all?” 1,020 adults were counted.

Posted July 26, 2006