Harris Interactive
 
 

THE HARRIS POLL #31, June 17, 1998

DOCTORS’ PRESTIGE RISES SHARPLY

Smaller increases in status of scientists, teachers, police officers and lawyers.

___________________________________________

By Humphrey Taylor

A new Harris Poll shows a big increase in the prestige of doctors who rise to the top of a list of 17 professions and occupations, and achieve their highest score since 1977. This trend may reflect the public’s increasing dislike of managed care and a perception that doctors are often the patients’ advocates in disputes about what treatments managed care plans will provide.

The proportion of the public who see doctors as having "very great prestige" is now up to 61%, compared to 52% a year ago and 50% in 1992.

No other profession or occupation has shown nearly as big a change since last year, but four occupations show increases of four or more percentage points:

These are the results of a Harris Poll of 950 adults surveyed between May 15 and May 19, 1998.

In the new poll, the top rankings go to doctors (#1), scientists (#2), teachers (#3) and the clergy (#4). The profession/occupations at the bottom of the list, with the least prestige are union leaders, journalists, and accountants. However, entertainers (a surprise?), business executives and bankers are also near the bottom of the list.

Humphrey Taylor is the Chairman of Louis Harris & Associates, Inc.

TABLE 1

PRESTIGE OF 17 PROFESSIONS

"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?"

 

 
 

 
Very Great
Prestige
Consirable Prestige
Some
Prestige
Hardly Prestige At All
Don’t
Know
%
%
%
%
%
Doctor
61
27
10
2
1
Scientist
55
30
10
3
1
Teacher
53
26
15
5
1
Minister/clergyman
46
28
19
7
1
Policeman
41
31
20
7
*
Engineer
34
39
22
4
1
Military officer
34
36
23
6
1
Architect
26
42
26
4
2
Congressman
25
31
26
17
1
Lawyer
23
30
28
18
1
Athlete
20
28
34
17
*
Entertainer
19
29
36
15
1
Businessman
18
37
38
6
1
Banker
18
33
39
10
*
Accountant
17
33
38
11
1
Journalist
15
33
37
13
1
Union leader
16
28
33
22
1
TABLE 2

20 YEAR TREND FOR "VERY GREAT" PRESTIGE

"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?"

 
 
1977
1982
1992
1997
1998
Changes since 1997
%
%
%
%
%
  
Doctor
61
55
50
52
61
+9
Scientist
66
59
57
51
55
+4
Teacher
29
28
41
49
53
+4
Minister/Clergyman
41
42
38
45
46
+1
Policeman
NA
NA
34
36
41
+5
Engineer
34
30
37
32
34
+2
Military officer
NA
22
32
29
34
+5
Architect
NA
NA
NA
NA
26
*
Member of Congress
NA
NA
24
23
25
+2
Lawyer
36
30
25
19
23
+4
Athlete
26
20
18
21
20
-1
Artist
21
20
13
19
NA
*
Entertainer
18
16
17
18
19
+1
Businessman
18
16
19
16
18
+2
Banker
17
17
17
15
18
+3
Accountant
NA
13
14
18
17
-1
Union leader
NA
NA
12
14
16
+2
Journalist
17
16
15
15
15
-
* No trend; NA not asked

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted by telephone within the United States between May 15 to 19, among a nationwide cross section of 950 adults. Figures for age, sex, race, education, number of adults and number of voice/telephone lines in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

In theory, with a sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, interviewer bias, weighting by demographic control data and screening (e.g., for likely voters). It is difficult or impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

818441

Q300

COPYRIGHT 1998 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.

ISSN 0895-7983