Honesty and Ethical Standards              August 2000

In case you missed it, the latest Gallup Poll (November 1999) on honesty

and ethical standards of people in different occupations found that nurses,

pharmacists, veterinarians, medical doctors, and K-12 teachers are

considered the most honest by the American public. At the bottom of the

honesty pile are car salesmen, telemarketers, advertising practitioners,

HMO managers, insurance salesmen, and journalists who publish only on the

Internet.

Political officeholders don't do too well either. State governors rank

18th, local officeholders rank 26th, senators rank 31st, state

officeholders rank 33rd, and congressmen rank 39th.

The good news is that judges and policemen are highly ranked holding the

number seven and eighth positions, respectively. College teachers are

ranked 10th ahead of engineers but one position behind dentists.

Public administration as an occupation and practice is not included in the

Gallup Poll.