Since 1977, the Harris Poll folks have been asking Americans about how “prestigious” they find various occupations to be. (The survey does not define “prestigious.”)
Doctors have claimed the No. 1 spot, as they have for five previous polls. Ninety percent of the public said that being a physician either “has a great deal of prestige” or “has prestige.” Sixty-two percent of respondents feel the same way about lawyers. There were a couple of interesting findings about how lawyers are perceived by the public:
1. Lawyers enjoy (slightly) greater prestige than priests, nuns, and rabbis, who have a 59% net prestige rating.
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2. The prestige of lawyers declines sharply with along generational lines:
- Net prestige: 62%
- Snake People (18-35): 71%
- Gen X (36-50): 61%
- Baby Boomers (51-69): 56%
- Matures (70+): 55%
Check out the complete Harris Poll findings here.
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Brian Dalton is the director of research for Breaking Media. Feel free to email him with any questions or comments.