Poll: Members of Congress barely edge car salesmen in honesty

Members of Congress barely edge car salesmen in trustworthiness, according to a poll released by Gallup on Monday.

The survey, which asked respondents to rate the "honesty and ethical standards" of 22 different professions, saw some 54 percent of respondents grade members of Congress's honesty as "low or very low."

That's the worst of any of the professions scored. Only car salesmen ranked worse overall, with a slightly higher percentage of respondents giving congressional representatives a grade of "very high or high."

Members of Congress ranked far worse than other politicians. Governors were in the middle of the pack — sandwiched between business executives and lawyers — with 31 percent according them a "low" rating and two in 10 offering a "high" grade.

Journalists were 12th on the list, narrowly beat out by bankers. Twenty-four percent of those surveyed gave reporters a "high," versus three in 10 saying offering a score of "low."

The three top-ranked professions were all medical in nature, with nurses narrowly edging pharmacists and doctors among the most honest professions. Dentists were fifth on the list, beat out narrowly by engineers. Civil servants like police officers and teachers also ranked high, even beating out members of the clergy.

Members of Congress have never fared well on the list, and the one in 10 respondents who gave representatives a "high or very high" ranking actually represents a 3-point upswing from last year's historic low of 7 percent. The survey, which has been conducted since 1976, had a peak honesty rating of 25 percent for congressmen in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

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