Seven-in-ten Canadians say they have a negative opinion of politicians.

Vancouver, BC – An overwhelming majority of Canadians express admiration towards two professions, a new Canada-wide Insights West poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample, more than nine-in-ten Canadians have a positive opinion of nurses (92%) and farmers (91%).

More than four-in-five Canadians also hold positive views of veterinarians (87%), scientists (86%), doctors (85%), teachers (also 85%), architects (83%) and engineers (82%).

Seven other professions earned the respect of at least two thirds of Canadians: accountants (79%), dentists (78%), police officers (76%), actors and artists (73%), athletes (72%), auto mechanics (70%) and military officers (69%).

When it comes to negative perceptions, the first place on the list of professions belongs to politicians (71%), followed by car salespeople (61%), lawyers (45%), business executives (43%), realtors (43%) and pollsters (42%).

“Positive opinions towards some professions are not uniform across gender, age and political allegiance,” says Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs, at Insights West. “Women, for instance, are more likely to express respect for lawyers and realtors (52% and 55% respectively) than men (42% for each).”

Canadians aged 18-34 are more likely to have a positive opinion of actors and artists (76%) than those aged 35-54 (73%) and those aged 55 and over (71%).

Canadians who voted for the Conservative Party last year are more likely to have a positive opinion of accountants (91%) than those who supported the Liberal Party (83%) or the New Democratic Party (NDP) (69%) in the federal election. In fact, NDP voters are the least likely to express respect for priests and ministers (46%, compared to the Canadian average of 56%) and bankers (41%, compared to 53% across the country).

Conversely, teachers scored well among both Liberals and NDP voters (90% and 86%), but dropped to 80% with Conservatives.