We're All Teachers' Pets

August 4, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - We apparently love our teachers.

In the 32 years since the Harris Poll first began surveying Americans about jobs they consider the most prestigious/important, the percentage pointing the finger at their educators as having the most prestige has shot up from 29% to 51%, according to a news release about the latest Harris survey on the issue.

Also since then, scientists have dropped nine points to 57% and lawyers have shed 10 points to 26%. Two have remained unchanged – priests/ministers/clergy at 41% and journalists at 17%, and another two very stable – entertainers, down one point to 17%; and bankers, down one point to 16%, according to the announcement.

Among the occupations with a deficit of public support : business executives are still near the bottom of the list with 62% of Americans saying they have only some prestige or hardly any prestige at all. Farmers shed five points to 36% and accountants four points to 11%.

In all, the top three slots in the latest poll went to firefighters, scientists and doctors while the bottom three were taken up with stock brokers, accountants and real estate broker/agents.

So what’s the takeaway about Americans’ occupational viewpoint? Harris said professions near the top of the list are not high-paying jobs – such as firefighters, nurses and teachers – while ones at the bottom may have a lot of fame attached to them – athletes, actors, entertainers – or are ones that have the potential to earn large salaries – business executives, stockbrokers, real estate agents.

The bottom line: people apparently do not equate money and fame with prestige, Harris contended.

The full survey results are available here .

The poll was conducted by telephone within the United States between July 7 and 14, 2009 among a nationwide cross section of 1,010 adults (aged 18 and over).

Base: All Adults

Very Great Prestige

Considerable Prestige

Some Prestige

Hardly Any Prestige At All

Not Sure/ Refused

%

%

%

%

%

Firefighter

62

21

13

5

*

Scientist

57

22

14

7

*

Doctor

56

28

13

3

*

Nurse

54

24

18

4

*

Military officer

51

24

17

7

*

Teacher

51

22

17

10

*

Police officer

44

24

24

7

*

Priest/Minister/Clergy

41

21

28

10

1

Engineer

39

27

28

5

1

Farmer

36

22

28

14

*

Architect

29

30

31

10

*

Member of Congress

28

21

27

22

2

Lawyer

26

22

33

19

*

Business executive

23

15

46

16

1

Athlete

21

18

42

19

*

Journalist

17

20

40

22

1

Union Leader

17

17

34

30

1

Entertainer

17

17

40

25

1

Banker

16

21

43

18

1

Actor

15

19

33

33

*

Stockbroker

13

11

43

31

3

Accountant

11

23

46

19

1

Real estate agent/broker

5

14

50

30

*

Source: The Harris Poll

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