With our lives in their hands, firefighters and paramedics have topped the annual New Zealand Reader’s Digest ‘Most Trusted Professions’ 2014 survey.
The Reader's Digest team say that at the other end of the scale, journalists, politicians, CEOs and real estate agents are struggling to be believed. Certainly, the job you hold can influence whether people trust you, and in New Zealand we tend to place our faith in the people who save our lives, care for us, protect us, and give back to us.
Peter Bradley, St John Chief Executive responded to the news saying "St John is very humbled to receive such a meaningful endorsement from the public and communities that we serve. Our paramedics are in the unique position of going into people’s homes and places of work to help them at times of great need so to have earned the public’s trust and confidence in the Most Trusted Profession category is an excellent validation of the approach we are taking. It’s really fabulous to see emergency services featuring so strongly in these awards.”
As part of its annual Trust Survey, New Zealand Reader’s Digest commissioned independent research company Catalyst Consultancy & Research to rank 50 different professions. (It is not a readers’ poll).
A representative cross section of more than 600 New Zealanders were then surveyed to rank the professions we have most faith in … along with those suffering credibility issues.