For the seventh year in a row, nurses took the top spot in Gallup's annual poll ranking 21 professions for honesty and ethics. Eighty-four percent of Americans rate the honesty and ethical standards of nurses as "high" or "very high." Druggists/pharmacists received the next highest rating, 70%. Other professions that scored well included high school teachers, medical doctors, clergy, and policemen.
Most of the rankings in the 2008 survey mirrored those in 2007. The exception was for bankers, who dropped 12% in positive ratings, from 35% to 23%.
Nurses have risen to the top of this annual poll every year but one since 1999. (Firefighters scored best in the 2001 poll, which was conducted shortly after the 9/11 attacks.) For more info, go to http://www.gallup.com and search for "nurses shine."