A little more than half of adults in the United States view teaching as a very prestigious occupation, a survey by Harris Interactive concludes.
Results of the Harris Interactive poll are available from Harris Interactive.
In an annual telephone poll on public perceptions of various professions, conducted last month, 52 percent of the more than 1,000 adults surveyed said that teaching is an occupation of “very great prestige,” and 22 percent said it is an occupation of “considerable prestige.”
Since the Rochester, N.Y.-based polling company began tracking public opinion about 11 occupations in 1977—including medicine, law, and the clergy—teaching is the only profession to have risen in the “very great prestige” category, up from 29 percent.
