Best and worst regarded professions in 2015

Ebony Bowden
Apr 29, 2015, updated Apr 29, 2015

Car salesmen, real estate agents, insurance brokers and federal MPs – these are the least admired jobs in Australia.

The annual Image of Professions Survey by Roy Morgan Research rated 30 different professions – from lawyers to university lecturers – with some surprising results.

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For the 21st year in a row, nurses were rated the most highly regarded profession, with 92 per cent of Australians listing it as the most ethical and honest.

Health professionals featured heavily in the top 10.

Pharmacists and doctors tied for second place, trusted equally by 84 per cent of the population, while dentists ranked sixth.

School teachers placed fourth after a massive six per cent improvement in their reputation since last year’s survey.

So who were the big losers?

The reputation of bank managers fell by nine per cent, closely followed by both lawyers and accountants, whose reputations fell by seven per cent.

Politicians, journalists and brokers were among the least trusted professions in Australia.

Just four per cent of Australians said they trust car salesmen, compared to 13 per cent of people who believed federal MPs were ethical and honest.