PEOPLE trust teachers to tell the truth more than police officers, priests, and judges, a MORI poll published today reveals.
It shows that only doctors are trusted more by the general public, with 91 per cent of 1,972 interviewees saying doctors do not tell lies - compared to 85 per cent for teachers.
The poll - commissioned by the British Medical Council - shows only a slight decline in the number of people who consider teachers to be truthful, from 86 per cent in a similar survey carried out last year.
Priests were given an 80 per cent honesty rating, followed by 77 per cent for judges and professors, 71 per cent for television readers, 64 per cent for scientists, and 59 per cent for police.
Teachers were also rated highly for how well they are doing their jobs. And - music to the ears of the teacher unions - 58 per cent of the public reckons they deserve a pay rise, second only to nurses, who were considered more deserving by 85 per cent of the interviewees.
The poll, carried out last week, shows that public trust in the medical and education professions remains high despite high-profile stories about the state of both public services. The case of Amy Gehring, the Canadian supply teacher cleared of indecently assaulting 15-year-old boys, who later admitted sleeping with a 16-year-old student, has not dented public faith in teachers.
Education Secretary Estelle Morris said this week: “I ask a lot of teachers, society asks a lot of teachers - they come in for a lot of stick.”
But the MORI poll suggests it is not the general public that is beating up the profession. And the findings make their views of politicians quite clear: barely a fifth trusted them to tell the truth, with only journalists (13 per cent) keeping our elected representatives off the bottom of the popularity stakes.
Only three in 10 are happy with how politicians are performing, compared to 84 per cent satisfied with the work of teachers. Again, only the medical profession outscored the classroom workers, with nurses, doctors and dentists scoring 94, 91, and 85 per cent respectively, saying nurses, doctors and dentists are doing a satisfactory job.
However, only around a third thought doctors and police officers deserved better pay.
