Angus Reid Poll: Politicians Garner the Lowest Level of Respect Among Canadians
[VANCOUVER – May 1, 2008] – Canadians give top marks to doctors, teachers and police officers, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll has found, while politicians garner the least amount of respect.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, a large majority of Canadians say they have a great deal or a fair amount of respect for doctors (94%), police officers (83%) and teachers (83%). At the bottom end are politicians (25%), lawyers (44%) and journalists (49%).
The results of the current survey are especially noteworthy when compared to those of an identical poll carried out by the Angus Reid Group in 1994. Interestingly, over the past 14 years, respect for every single profession—with the exception of doctors—has diminished across the country.
The professionals who endured the most noticeable slump are journalists. In 2008, less than half of all respondents say they have a great deal or a fair amount of respect for journalists (49%), compared to 73 per cent in 1994.
Religious and legal careers also see a big drop in support since 1994, with respect for priests and ministers decreasing by 15 points (76% in 1994 versus 61% in 2008), and lawyers seeing a 13-point decline (57% in 1994 versus 44% in 2008).
In contrast, doctors are the lone group to see a slight surge in numbers over the last 24 years, with 94 per cent of Canadians saying they have a great deal or a fair amount of respect for this profession (compared to 91% in 1994).
In this year’s survey, medical practitioners have the highest support across all provinces (reaching a high of 96% in British Columbia), while politicians have the lowest regional support—with particularly low numbers in the Atlantic Provinces (14%). In Quebec, politicians have better reputations: more than one-in-three respondents (35%) express a great deal or a fair amount of respect for political careers (more than any of the other provinces).
The age breakdown reveals that younger adults (aged 18-34) have more respect than the other two groups for all professions (with the exception of police officers, where the highest level of respect comes from the 35-54 group).
The level of respect young adults have for politicians and lawyers is of particular interest. More than half of respondents in this group (54%) say they respect a legal career (compared to 40% for the 34-54 group and 42% for the 55+ group) and one-in-three (34%) say they respect politicians (compared to 20% for the 35-54 group and 25% for the 55+ group).
On the gender front, women have more respect than men for the majority of professions, with the most noticeable difference seen in their view of lawyers. While one-in-two female respondents (54%) feel that a legal career is a very respectable profession, only 33 per cent of males concur.