Trusted Professions

Previous posts have looked at the public standing of various professions and occupations. Gallup reports:

Nurses & Soldiers edge out Congressmen & Lobbyists on perceived honesty & ethics https://t.co/25jmUBecFg pic.twitter.com/nnVkHeVEwe

— Bruce Mehlman (@bpmehlman) January 13, 2025

Proud of America Right Now?

Susan Page and Merdie Nganza at USA Today:

A new USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll about patriotism, pegged to this week’s celebration of the Fourth of July, finds an overwhelming majority of those surveyed say they are proud to be Americans. But they split almost down the middle, 42 percent to 39 percent, when asked whether they are proud of America right now.
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In the survey, most say they are proud to be Americans, although Republicans feel that way more strongly (90 percent) than Democrats (61 percent). There is no consensus when asked about the country’s current course, though: 71 percent of Republicans but just 22 percent of Democrats said they are proud of America right now.

 The USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll of 1,004 adults, taken online June 26-27, has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The survey is one of a year-long series on American values.

From Ipsos:

When asked to rate several concepts, people, and professions on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being worst about America and 7 being the best, nurses were chosen as those who represent the best of America, scoring the highest mean rating of 6.0. Nurses receive high marks across the political spectrum, with Republicans (6.1), Democrats (6.0), and Independents (6.0) rating them equally high. Kindness to strangers is the top-ranking value and second-highest ranking overall (5.6), with Republicans and Democrats once again aligned (5.7 among both groups). The Founding Fathers, speaking English, and school teachers are also seen as some of the best parts of America, each with mean ratings of 5.5.

When it comes to the worst of America, those in the political sphere take the lead. Politicians earn a mean score of just 2.7. Republicans (3.1), Democrats (2.7) and Independents (2.2) all report poor opinions about politicians. Political correctness (3.3) also represents one of the worst things about America for the general public.

The survey also asked respondents how they define patriotism.  Two-thirds mentioned pride or loyalty, while only seven percent mentioned law or guidelines 

The Public Rates the Honesty of Professions

Previous posts have looked at the public standing of various professions and occupations. Gallup reports:

As Congress remains involved in protracted negotiations over the pending "fiscal cliff" that could disrupt the nation's economy if not addressed by Jan. 1, one in 10 Americans rate the honesty and ethical standards of its members as very high or high. This puts the lawmaking body second lowest on a list of 22 professions measured -- higher only than car salespeople.

These results are from Gallup's Nov. 26-29 update of the perceived honesty and ethical standards of professions. Survey respondents rated each profession on a five-point honesty and ethical scale ranging from "very high" to "very low."

Americans' views of the 22 professions tested vary widely -- extending from the 85% who rate nurses' ethics and honesty as very high or high to a low of 8% rating car salespeople the same.
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These ratings technically measure Americans' perceptions of the honesty and ethical standards of various professions, but most likely stand for an overall, broad assessment of the image of each profession tested. As such, the results continue to be bad news for politicians, who remain in the bottom half of the list, particularly including members of Congress -- who this year are better than only car salespeople.

These ratings are in line with other indications showing the low esteem in which politicians are held, including a generally negative image of the "federal government," and continuing low congressional job approval ratings.

Nurses and Professional Prestige

Gallup reports:

Nurses continue to outrank other professions in Gallup's annual Honesty and Ethics survey. Eighty-one percent of Americans say nurses have "very high" or "high" honesty and ethical standards, a significantly greater percentage than for the next-highest-rated professions, military officers and pharmacists. Americans rate car salespeople, lobbyists, and members of Congress as having the lowest honesty and ethics, with the last two getting a majority of "low" or "very low" ratings.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Politicians and political strategists looking ahead to the next election cycle are taking notice of an increasingly potent political force on the state and national scene - one that's overwhelmingly female and dressed in scrubs.

The Oakland-based California Nurses Association has made its mark by delivering some powerful political punches with a combination of entertaining theater and savvy strategizing.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has felt the wrath of the army of the union's protesters, most of them dressed in their trademark medical uniforms. So have California GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman and Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle - both losers in high-profile races this year.

And the clout of the California Nurses Association and its 86,000 members was underscored by news this week that, as the largest nurses union in the country, it helped Nicandra Diaz Santillan, Whitman's undocumented housekeeper, come forward with her explosive story. The Mexican maid's emergence became a turning point in the 2010 California gubernatorial election, which Whitman lost in a landslide to Democratic state Attorney General Jerry Brown.

And in the same year, the union's national organization, National Nurses United with 155,000 members, took to the picket lines, helping to organize walkouts - or threatening them - in five states, including California.