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Firefighters have come top of a poll as the most trusted profession in the UK, with 98% of respondents in the UK saying that they trusted fire and rescue personnel “a great deal” or “quite a lot”.
The survey by Reader’s Digest reveals that the trust factor for firefighters is ahead of nurses, doctors and teachers, and has increased by 1% since the question was asked in 2007. It is one of the few professions to register an increase in trust at all – financial advisers, for example, experienced a four point fall in confidence.
The survey was conducted across 16 European countries. Trust in firefighters was at its highest in UK and Hungary, but relatively lower in Romania and Russia with only 86% and 81% respectively. Over 1700 UK residents were surveyed.
“Trust underpins every interaction that we make in both our personal and professional lives,” said Chris Spratling, Reader’s Digest managing director. “Whilst consumer expectations may differ from one profession to another, in a world of ongoing economic uncertainty trust in a profession has never been more important.”