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Gallup Poll  

Trust in Big Business Relatively Low

The overall level of trust in people hides a great deal of variation in the trust Americans have in specific types of people. The poll asked the public to say whether most members in particular groups can be trusted, or if one can't be too careful in dealing with members of those groups. The results appear below.

SUMMARY TABLE: GROUPS THAT CAN BE TRUSTED

 

2002 Jul 5-8
(sorted by "most can be trusted")

Most can be trusted

Can't be
too careful

%

%

Teachers

84

15

Middle class people

75

21

People who run small businesses

75

22

Military officers

73

24

Police officers

71

26

Coaches of youth sports

68

28

Poor people

67

28

Protestant ministers

66

26

Doctors

66

31

Accountants

51

44

Professional athletes

48

45

Catholic priests

45

48

Rich people

43

51

Journalists

38

58

Government officials

26

69

Lawyers

25

70

Stockbrokers

23

68

CEOs of large corporations

23

73

Managers of HMOs

20

72

Car dealers

15

81

Clearly, the recent wave of corporate scandals has done little to engender faith in the executives of large companies. Only 23% of Americans say that CEOs of large corporations can be trusted, while 73% say you cannot be too careful in dealing with them. Stockbrokers are viewed similarly, with only 23% of the public saying you can trust most of them. Car dealers (at 15%) and managers of HMOs (at 20%) are the only two groups tested that rank lower than CEOs and stockbrokers.

Relatively speaking, accountants perform well. Despite the fact that accounting irregularities are at the heart of some of the recent business scandals, 51% of Americans say most accountants can be trusted. And it is clear the lack of trust in CEOs does not extend to all business managers. Three out of four Americans say that most people who run small businesses can be trusted.

 

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