| Prestige is defined as honor, awe, or high | | | | of the respondents said lawyers have "very |
| opinion inspired by or derived from a | | | | great prestige?" Business executives got 14 |
| high-ranking, influential, or successful | | | | percent and union leaders were at 13 percent |
| person or product. Unfortunately, real estate | | | | compared to real estate agents who according |
| brokers apparently have very little prestige | | | | to the poll were rated with "very great |
| according to a recent Harris Poll completed | | | | prestige" by only 5 percent of the |
| in August. According to the poll | | | | respondents. |
| firefighters, scientists and teachers top the | | | | |
| list as most prestigious occupations and | | | | In the category of "considerable prestige" my |
| bankers, actors and real estate agents are at | | | | occupation, real estate agent, moved up from |
| the bottom. | | | | the basement and ranked higher than |
| | | | stockbrokers, farmers, and entertainers. With |
| This particular poll measures the public | | | | 18 percent of responders saying we had |
| perception of 23 professions using a | | | | "considerable prestige" we were just a hair |
| nationwide sample of 1,010 adults. They did | | | | below actors, athletes and lawyers. |
| indicate at only half of the survey | | | | |
| respondents were asked about each occupation. | | | | When the poll got to "hardly any prestige at |
| | | | all" Doctors did the best. Only 1 percent of |
| According to the poll there were six | | | | the respondents felt that doctors had |
| professions perceived to have "very great" | | | | virtually no prestige. With 38 percent, |
| prestige. They are firefighters (61%), | | | | actors were most often mentioned as having |
| scientists (54%), teachers (54%), doctors | | | | hardly any prestige with real estate agents |
| (52%), military officers (52%), and nurses | | | | mentioned 34 percent of the time. Members of |
| (50%). They are followed by police officers | | | | Congress were mentioned 17 percent of the |
| (46%) priests/ministers/clergy (42%) and | | | | time as having hardly any prestige. |
| farmers (41%). | | | | |
| | | | Clearly, the real estate profession with such |
| The poll indicates there are ten professions | | | | a low barrier of entrance has attracted a |
| which when adults were asked about "very | | | | huge number of participants. I recall reading |
| great prestige" ranked at the bottom. They | | | | somewhere that in California one in eight |
| were real estate brokers (5%), actors (9%), | | | | people has a real estate license. On the |
| bankers (10%), accountants (11%), | | | | other hand those of us who have made real |
| entertainers (12%), stockbrokers (12%), union | | | | estate a career and work hard at it believe |
| leaders (13%), journalists (13%), business | | | | we are an honorable profession, dedicated to |
| executives (14%), and athletes (16%). | | | | helping individuals and families buy and |
| | | | sell, what for most is the single largest |
| When participants responded to professions | | | | financial transaction of their lives, their |
| with "hardly any prestige at all" they listed | | | | homes. Realtors have one of the strongest and |
| stockbrokers (25%), union leaders (30%), | | | | most comprehensive code of ethics to work by |
| entertainers (31%), real estate brokers (34%) | | | | and our success is based on the quality of |
| and actors (38%). | | | | service we deliver to our clients. Surely |
| | | | that deserves some level of prestige if you |
| Compared to other occupations real estate | | | | remember the definition of prestige includes |
| agents did not fare well in this poll | | | | successful product or service. |
| measuring prestige. Compared to occupations | | | | |
| like firefighters, teachers, doctors | | | | If you get picked to participate next year in |
| Ministers, and having to rank in order of | | | | this poll, remember who helped you buy the |
| very great prestige, I can understand why | | | | house you are living in and give our |
| real estate agents are not ranked near the | | | | profession a face. To view the complete |
| top but dead last? Can you believe 22 percent | | | | survey, visit Harris Interactive. |